ππ
About RiceBurger Studios
Who we are, what we do, and why we do it!
Our Story
How RiceBurger came to be
Did you know Han and Oni are based on our real life friendship? That’s right: the characters are (kind of) real! Back in 2018, a particularly handsome Japanese guy studied abroad in the United States. While there, he met an even more handsome American! They became best friends.
Real life Han and Oni
Well, maybe we’re not so handsome… But we are best friends! RiceBurger Studios started on April 1st, 2021 when we created an Instagram page to help people study abroad in Japan. As we got busier and busier, we really just wanted an excuse to keep in touch, and RiceBurger gave us that chance.
For some reason, people loved our terrible drawings and cheesy jokes… Today, RiceBurger Studios is supporting over 300,000 people online as we try to make learning Japanese more fun and accessible. We want everyone to have the chance to make friendships like ours.
Real life Han and Oni
Why we do it
Languages connect people who might otherwise never get to know each other – our friendship is proof! Some people have Japanese ancestry they want to explore, some have Japanese spouses they want to connect with, some love the food, and some love the pop culture. No matter why Japan calls you, we hope RiceBurger can help.
Our Philosophy
How we do it
We’re spread thin, and we know RiceBurger isn’t always perfect. But we try our best to cling to these core values in everything we do: be it planning lessons and courses, making videos, or giving advice to learners.
Learning Should Be Fun
A lot of people forget to enjoy their journey! Learning a language is difficult, but that shouldn’t mean it can’t be fun. At the core of RiceBurger is the idea that you MUST enjoy the process in order to keep growing. If you start to hate learning Japanese, are you really going to stick with it?
Conversational Japanese
Japanese for Everyone
Money shouldn’t be an obstacle to learning. We are passionate in our belief that everyone should be able to learn Japanese if they want to. No matter what the future of RiceBurger holds, we will always dedicate our time to putting free lessons online. Learn how you can support our work here!
Who We Are
The people behind RiceBurger Studios
Many people are surprised to know that “RiceBurger Studios” is just a team of two. We work extremely hard to do everything ourselves – creating and editing videos, the illustration and animation, the Japanese lessons, even the website you’re reading right now – we do it all ourselves. This is why we need your support!
Hideaki
Oni
Hideaki (π) is a native Japanese speaker from Osaka, Japan! After graduating, he began work as a γ΅γ©γͺγΌγγ³ (salaryman) before deciding it wasn’t for him. He now works on RiceBurger and at a restaurant selling traditional Japanese food!
Dustin
Han
Dustin (π) is a native English speaker from the United States! He is passionate about the environment and works in conservation and science communication! He has been studying Japanese (intermittently) for several years. He asks the dumb questions so you don’t have to π
Our Partners
With a little bit of help from our friends
While the two of us make RiceBurger’s videos, there are just some things we can’t do alone. These awesome people have helped us make RiceBurger better by contributing their talents, time, and passion!
Michael Wheeler
Giant Chess Men
Michael is an extremely talented musician who is helping us bring RiceBurger videos to the next level through character themed music and other background songs. Check out his RiceBurger songs here!
Listen to some of Michael’s work through the links below (his artist name is Giant Chess Men, so be sure to look him up)!
Shea Co
PenPenPenguin
Shea is an American educator who teaches in Japan. She is also a brilliant writer who covers the science of language learning and shares Japanese language study tips.
Shea is the the Editor of the RiceBurger blog (check out her RiceBurger articles here) and also publishes The Language Ladder on Substack!
Get in Touch
Contact Us
Need to reach out? Use the form below!
If you need to contact support, use this form instead.
