Education in Japan

We have gathered some of the top Tokyo International Schools’ Calendars for Autumn 2019 (August to December 2019)  in an attempt to help simplify planning. We often hear from other parents and organizers of community events that all the international schools’ schedules being different causes may headaches. Hoping readers find …

Japanese Elementary School begins next month. Are you prepared? Or will your child attend in the coming years? We`ve listed what you need to know, information schedules and a general school supplies list to help you prepare. What you need to know: *Elementary School Selection Procedure for Meguro Ward. Please contact …

Looking for Tokyo English Classes for Multi Cultural Kids? If you are a parent educating your child in the Japanese School system supplementing English reading and writing at home can be a challenge. There are numerous English language schools in Japan so it`s not difficult to find the best English …

Thinking about applying for Japanese Kindergarten? If so, now is the time to attend kindergarten open schools and apply! It is now application and interview season for private yochien (Japanese Kindergarten) for April 2019 entry.  Please note that most kindergartens release their application forms and relevant school information the first half of October, …

If you have a child entering kindergarten to early elementary and are considering applying to an international school, you should check our Tokyo Internationals Schools Open Houses and Tours overview. If you are applying for the Fall of 2019 you need to visit schools in September and October, apply by …

Are you ready for Japanese kindergarten? School begins in a few days!! Sharing our experience and tips for preparing for Japanese school. Every kindergarten requires parents to make a number of handmade bags. You can make them yourself, purchase some with the exact dimensions on Amazon Japan or find some …

Japanese Elementary School (shogakko) begins in a few weeks. Are you prepared? Your elementary will have provided you with a list of items to purchase and label. However, there are a number of items not highlighted that your kids will need daily throughout their years in elementary. Here are necessary items to purchase …

Guide to Navigating the Japanese Hoikuen System If you are planning to return to work after taking some time off to bond with your little one, you are more than likely weighting the daycare (保育/ほいく/hoiku) options available in Japan. You’re perhaps also well aware of the daycare shortage the nation …

October marks the beginning of Japanese Elementary School application distribution, setsumeikais (briefing sessions) and open school. If your child is 6 years old now is the time to start applying for Japanese Elementary School for the April 2018 start. Note Japanese public schools are broken out by zones and availability. …

As a parent educating my children in the Japanese school system I was thrilled to attend the `Educating Your Child in a Non-Native Language` seminar at the Tokyo American Club. This seminar organized by Betsy Rogers, an American longtime Japan resident with experience of school systems in the US and Japan and …

Raising a Bilingual Child Seminars in Tokyo. Uncover a wealth of resources and expert advice at these bilingual seminars. Raising Bilingual Children in Japan: Planning for More Than One Language Marsha Rosenberg, Speech and Language Pathologist. A long time resident of Japan, Marsha Rosenberg is a speech and language specialist …

The last 2016-2017 school year  TELL Exceptional Parenting Programs is scheduled for Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017 and the workshop is perfectly timed to learn how to Supporting Young People During and After Exam Season. TELL (Tokyo English Life Line) runs the Exceptional Parenting Program (EPP) workshop series each school year …

Japanese Kindergarten (Yochien) begins in a few weeks. Are you prepared? Your yochien will have provided you with a list of items to hand-make, purchase and label. However, there are a number of items not highlighted that your kids will need daily throughout their years in yochien. Here are necessary items to purchase …

The Tsuchiya Randoseru (ランドセル) is one of Japan’s most respected names in leather goods. For more than 50 years, the Tsuchiya Bag Co., Ltd has meticulously handcrafted high quality, original randoseru. In 2015, to mark its fiftieth anniversary, the company launched a collection of randoseru for working adults – the Otona Randsel Randoseru, which …

We have gathered some of the top Tokyo Area International Schools’ 2017 Calendars in an attempt to help simplify planning. We often hear from other parents and organizers of community events that all the international school’s schedules being different causes may headaches. Hoping readers find this helpful. If you would …

Here is a comprehensive and updated (August 2016) list of Tokyo International Pre-schools by area.  There are over 40+ schools on this list so the best way to start your research is by neighbourhood and then review each schools website and social media links to learn a bit about the …

If you are a mom or dad to Japan, here are some great Japan Parenting Groups and Resources you should know. Some of the groups are purely online support groups; other have offline events and meet-ups. There are over 30 parenting groups on this list which includes special interest groups …

TELL (Tokyo English Life Line) provides an Exceptional Parenting Program (EPP) workshop series each school year which support global parents on a wide-range of topics. I have attended quite a few over the past years and have found each one to be valuable to maintain some sanity in our crazy …

Minato-ku (Tokyo) is holding a free seminar on Raising Bilingual Children on January 10th, 2015.  The main speaker of the Raising Biligual Children Seminar will be Ms. Marsha Rosenberg, who is a long-time Japan resident, speech and language specialist and mother of bilingual children. Raising Bilingual Children Seminar Only 150 …

I thought preparing for Japanese kindergarten (yochien) was overwhelming. In hindsight, it`s a breeze compared to the responsibilities given to Yochien mothers once school begins – especially as a foreigner. This is my experience, as well as some tips, for surviving the first two months as a yochien mom. If …