15,000 students, 60 classes, and 5 campuses across 2 cities. Running a top Japanese language school like Coto Academy takes far more than classrooms and teachers. Behind every student’s experience is the engine room keeping everything moving, and at Coto World, that “room” is led by Nao Yoshida from the Operations Division.
The Operations Division sits at every touchpoint of the customer journey. It’s the first voice a prospective student hears when they reach out, and the team that makes sure that first impression leads somewhere meaningful. It is also the systems that keep five campuses running in sync: scheduling, service quality, and cross-departmental coordination. When something needs to improve, Operations asks why. When the school needs to grow, Operations builds the framework.
As Head of Operations, Nao sees her role as tending the conditions for all sides to grow — student, staff, and campus. She joined Coto as a fresh graduate and rose to lead operations across all five campuses. Learn what that journey taught her, about leadership, about people, and about what great operations actually look like.
Welcome, Yoshida-san! Tell us a bit more about your career path at Coto so far.
I actually interned at Coto for around six months before joining as a new graduate. At university, I minored in Japanese language education and worked as a teaching assistant on Japanese courses for exchange students. I also did internships at hotels abroad and worked at a wedding venue. Those are environments where I was constantly interacting with people from all kinds of nationalities and backgrounds.
You’ve come from an intern at Coto to now Head of Operations. That’s impressive! What is the biggest growth you have seen so far in the company?
What I’ve noticed most is growth in the team’s independence and in how naturally we collaborate. Cross-departmental relationships have also grown more organic.
What is so great, too, is seeing how now, each of us thinks from the student’s perspective and asks what they can do within their own role, rather than waiting to be told.
Why is a cross-departmental relationship important in operations?
As our business expanded, our scope has grown, too. Building stronger foundations for service quality and strengthening interdepartmental connections have become more critical than ever.
A greater connection across the school has raised our collective ability to deliver a better experience for students. We’re still growing, and being part of that growth every day is genuinely energizing.
We’re curious: What drew you to Coto in the first place?
What drew me to Coto was its belief in people. I’ve always wanted to be the kind of presence that helps something dormant in a person take root and grow. Coto’s philosophy and environment matched that completely.
Today, as someone overseeing the school brand, what keeps you motivated to keep improving things day after day?
What keeps me going is those moments when I can feel that my involvement has contributed to someone’s small but real change or growth. And beyond that, the act of moving forward together with colleagues toward something better, and watching the school become more valuable to the world. That process itself is what motivates me.
When’s your proudest moment working here so far?
The moments that mean the most are when I can feel that the student experience has genuinely improved because of how the team, the teachers, and the different departments came together.
When a student says, “I’m so glad I studied at Coto” or “I can finally talk to my colleagues in Japanese” — or when I watch a staff member take initiative and create something better on their own — I feel the weight of everything we do every day. Watching the school move in a better direction and watching people grow into themselves is what this job is really about for me!
How would you describe the values that drive Coto Academy’s Operations Division?
What makes the operations team distinctive is a genuine commitment to the student experience and a culture of creating value together.
Our role is to support almost every aspect of running the school outside of the lessons themselves. Within that, each of us brings different strengths and perspectives, but we’re united by a shared question: what does a better experience for the student look like? That question cuts across departments, and it’s what keeps us connected.
What do you enjoy doing when you step away from school management?
I love having time where I can just follow my own instincts.
Calligraphy is one of those spaces. It’s a time to face myself and express something. I started as a primary school student and have kept it up ever since. Working toward pieces for exhibitions a few times a year gives me something to aim for.
I also love traveling and putting myself in completely different environments. In everyday life, I often just walk without a destination. By following my feet, I stumble across unexpected things and small discoveries, and I come home with my head somehow clearer.
What would you say to someone considering joining Coto?
I want to build the future of Coto and the operations team together with people who genuinely connect with our mission and vision. This means people who have their own sense of what kind of school they want to help create, and what kind of experience they want to give students through the power of language.
If something about Coto has resonated with you, hold onto that feeling. Let’s have a conversation about it!
Ready to join us?
At Coto World, we’re always looking for people who believe in the power of language to change lives. If you’re excited about creating meaningful experiences for Japanese learners worldwide, explore our open roles or reach out. We’d love to hear from you.
