Michael and Saki Hominick are a couple residing in Lake Highlands with products and services inspired by Japanese language and culture.
Renshuu is an online Japanese language program for learners of any age with illustrations created by Saki. Michael now manages the site full-time. Quizzes, a dictionary, crossword puzzles and other activities are the tools learners can use to help them progress.
On the other hand, Saki is an artist who makes vinyl stickers inspired by her Japanese culture and sells them on Kaoland, her Etsy shop. These stickers are heavy duty and dishwasher safe.
The designs range from cute foods to cats and figures of their mascot, Kaochan.
Michael is a class of 2000 LHHS grad who also went to Duke University. While at Duke, he developed and shared a program to help him and his classmates learn Japanese. The university later bought the rights to the program.
“By 2001, I’d say I basically made [the program] for myself because I didn’t like studying in a book and making flashcards,” Michael says. “I thought there must be a better way to do it, so I initially came up with it just to help myself and it kind of spread from there.”
It was a simpler program than Renshuu. Michael officially launched Renshuu in 2005, a year after graduating from Duke with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
“At that point, it was still very small, but more people were using it, and it wasn’t a business or anything. It was more of a hobby,” Michael says. “So, I said I’ll try and keep working on this in my spare time to help people kind of thing.”
Alongside his computer science degree, Michael also minored in Japanese. He moved to Japan for a year and ended up staying for 14 years total.
During his time in Japan, he met his wife, Saki. They’ve been together for 10 years and married for six. Together with their two kids, Leo and Ailey, the family moved back to Lake Highlands in October 2020.
More information about Renshuu can be found on their site or downloaded on the App and Google Play stores. Saki’s sticker shop can be found on Etsy.