Rei Inouye is a World Languages Center professor at Northeastern University rated 3.73/5 by 327 students, with 3.16/5 difficulty and 73.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Rei Inouye professor reviews and ratings: 3.73/5 from 327 student reviews at Northeastern (73.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Great professor—very considerate and kind. I had prior knowledge of Japanese, so the class wasn't difficult at all for me, though I can see it being challenging for those who don't have prior knowledge. The quizzes were short and manageable. Overall, it was a decent class, and I would take it again.JPNS1101 2026-01-12 17:26:19 +0000 UTC
Japanese Pop Culture with her is literally a history class, lots of boring long readings for homework. We had 2 midterms on the history of Japan with questions on random things we didn't even learn about and she graded super harshly. If you actually want to learn about pop culture, do not take her, if you want to take a history class then sure.JAPFILM 2025-04-08 16:51:21 +0000 UTC
I had Professor Inouye for Japanese Film. It's an easy course, all you have to do is show up and study for quizzes, and she loves participation. Be sure not to miss too many classes, as you'll be penalized on quizzes for not knowing specifics about films. She's very sweet but a little confusing, but this is a nice class.CINU260 2009-04-13 18:49:22 +0000 UTC
She's really passionate about what she teaches. takes it very seriously. lots of homework, in class exercises, and mini-quizzes. you use the textbook everyday all the time. a lil freaky but she does check if you go on blackboard to do the listening samples. all in all, you learn a lot from the class.LNJU101 2008-04-03 14:26:12 +0000 UTC
The class would have been fun if the professor wasn't so paranoid about attendance and class participation. She actually checks on Bb whether her students click on the course documents & links. The course is a bit too much work for an elective course. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if there are less readings and less tension in the class.LNJU150 2008-03-19 21:03:11 +0000 UTC
She is awesome! Amazing prof who really cares about her students and work. Just be warned that the class is a lot of work! (quizzes, written homework). If you care about learning japanese you will find this class amazing but don't take her course for an easy A otherwise.JPNS1101 2025-09-25 02:18:56 +0000 UTC
Very nice. Has a pretty Japanese accent. class is pretty easy if you put in some effort. A vocab quiz, 2 papers, midterm, and VERY easy presentation is all the work (there are readings but no one does them). Semi-strict about attendance - if too many people leave during class she will take attendance again at the end.JAPFILM 2007-04-13 14:29:11 +0000 UTC
prof inuoye is really nice and sweet. the workload is super heavy, we had written quizzes every week. the course itself is really fun if you're passionate about japanese or japanese culture.JPNS1101 2025-04-28 06:13:18 +0000 UTC
I would only rec this class if you already have a good understanding of Japanese. If you go into this course like a beginner, like the title says, you WILL struggle. I already had a good grasp so this class was p easy. Meanwhile my classmates were struggling.JPNS1101 2025-04-17 01:22:45 +0000 UTC
I didn't know much about japanese to begin with but there were many students in my beginner class who were already very experienced.There is so much content with grammar and vocab where a lot of it is expected to be memorized.This was one of the most stressful classes I took and I took it as an elective.I wont be taking this prof if i take japaneseJPNS1101 2024-12-05 14:59:31 +0000 UTC
Prof Inouye is awesome- she's really nice and generally helpful. If you do the homework and study outside of class, you'll be fine. However, there are a LOT of quizzes(but they're outlined on the syllabus, not a surprise). I'd say if you're not willing to dedicate time outside of class, don't take this one.JPNS1101 2024-11-25 15:44:22 +0000 UTC
Inouye sensei was really kind and this is a great experience of learning a new lan. I really really like her. She never blame anyone even took a super long time to understand. She make sure we practice again to able to memorize. Yes there were a lot of hw but most of them are not hard. But yes it would be hard for people who never know this lan.JPNS1101 2023-11-18 03:23:14 +0000 UTC
Avoid if you don't have prior knowledge of Japanese or Arnt willing to put in 20 hours a week into the subject.JPNS1101 2022-05-20 17:24:53 +0000 UTC
This course was easy since I pre-knew some Japanese but woulda been a little tough if I didn't know jap. Pretty face paced so if you try to pass without studying, you wont survive. A lot of tasks are required, papers due almost every class, and short quiz every class or two. But fairly easy grader and accepts late works (since so many tasks, right)JPNS1101 2020-12-22 11:06:37 +0000 UTC
Super nice professor. Had a great class environment online, which is hard to do. Definitely cares about her students and what she's teaching.JPNS1101 2020-11-21 23:15:28 +0000 UTC
Rei Inouye has an average rating of 3.73/5 from 327 student reviews. 73.0% of students said they would take them again.
Rei Inouye's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.16/5 based on student reviews.
Rei Inouye has taught JPNS1101, JPNS1700, JPNS2101, CLTR1700, JPNS3102, JPNS1102 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.