Hi! My name is John R. Yamamoto-Wilson, aka Ano Sensei. I studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where I got my PhD (long story!), and I also took a Master’s degree in Linguistics at the University of Bangor. I have published widely in the field of early modern literature, along with a few publications on linguistics and language teaching. If you’re interested in my academic publications, you can find a full list Google Scholar, along with PDFs of many of my articles on ResearchGate.
I inherited a love of literature – and particularly poetry – from my father Raymond Wilson, and, like him, I have a lifelong belief in the positive effect a love of literature can have on people’s lives. That belief led me – after I retired as a professor of the Department of English Literature at Sophia University, Tokyo – to create the Ano Sensei YouTube channel, and, eventually, this website, The Educational Hub.
The YouTube channel focuses strongly on poetry, but also includes videos on drama and the novel, as well as sections on English language and history. My aim is always to demystify and present things in an accessible way.
The Educational Hub website follows a similar path. Here, I can add digital books and articles, interactive materials, and other features that are beyond the scope of YouTube, aimed at anyone with a curiosity about the English-speaking world and its cultural heritage. Whether you are a student, a lifelong learner, or simply someone who loves exploring new things, I hope you will find something here for you.
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel extensively, growing up in Britain, spending much of my thirties in Spain, and making Japan my home for the past several decades, along with travels that have taken me over much of Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. No matter who or where you are in this world, the world of literature is part of your birthright. I hope you will find plenty here to enable and encourage you to explore its depths.