japanese yochien hunt: part I

we've known for quite some time that we wanted to send our children to japanese schools if possible so they could fully appreciate the culture. as young as they are, this was one way we could ensure they would have memories of life in japan being different from "normal" and opening their eyes to how different life is around the world.  after a little shuffling of logistics to ensure childcare, transportation and translation for my friend caroline and i, we finally got it accomplished and visited three of five local japanese yochiens (preschools) in iwakuni.  it was a really enjoyable day getting out in our community after spending so much time on base lately, and there truly is nothing more adorable than a preschool - it doesn't matter what country you are in. everything is tiny and colorful and the staff at all the schools was warm and welcoming and apologetic - they are on summer break during the month of august so the air conditioning is off and the school is mostly empty of students and staff, other than small groups of children in daycare during summer break.
the details for the most part of all three yochiens we visited were the same. school begins from summer break (month of august) on september 3. registration packet and registration fee are due when you decide you'd like to attend and then you order your uniforms through the school which includes a backpack and in some cases a hat. some have a supplies fee and some of them give you a school supplies list. you end up buying class shoes (little white slip-ons with bottoms similar to keds) out in town.  two of the three provide lunch (kawashimo does not, but two days a week you can pay extra for lunch). there is a lot of time spent on craft activities, language activities, song/dance (many performances throughout the year and celebrations for festivals that include dance/song) - typyical of what you'd expect from a preschool in the states, minus the japanese lessons. the teachers speak only japanese so they are immersed in the language from the very start. they try to spread out the american children so there are only 1-2 per class at most schools. class size is approximately 20 students with 1-2 teachers per class. they all include bus service as space allows (since we are starting mid-year, its possible we may not have space on the bus this year) and the teacher rides on the bus with students, ensuring their parent is waiting there at the bus stop for them.
my friend caroline did some loose conversions of monthly tuition for five full days a week of preschool plus lunch and bus service.  this is what she came up with (does not include registration fees, uniform prices):

Minami - $372/mo

Higashi - $310/mo  

Kawoshima - $264/mo
to me, this is quite impressive considering what we were paying in San Diego for a wonderful three half days a week for a preschool ($310/mo).  obviously there is a spread in pricing, but like anything in life, it is important to make a decision that feels right. price is important. atmosphere is important. confidence in the staff and school is important. and really, momma wisdom about choosing what is best for your child.
the language barrier was little to nothing as we had a friend along who could translate and two of the three schools also had at least one english speaking staff member along. other than having to rephrase our questions or clarify the statements they made to be sure we had understood correctly, the language was not an issue at all.  the schools were all close-ish to our base (10-25 minutes approximately, depending on how many lights you were stopped at or how lost you got).  our lovely neighbor agreed to drive us so we didn't have to attempt to remember all the rules of the road and navigate our way there, and he provided excellent company and entertainment for the day as well as some fabulous tour-guiding and pointing out some spots of interest.

Higashi Yochien - about 10 minutes from main gate. This school was smallish - but more school like than most preschools in the states. they have a courtyard in the middle for outdoor play and a small pool for swimming class in the hot months before summer break as well as gymnastic class once a month in their large multi purpose room. i was very impressed with the facilities and they have an english speaking staff member.

One of many Higashi classrooms, they are extremely well kept and maintained and organized with nice natural lighting. There is a 2-3 year old class, several 3-4 year old classes and some 4-5 year old classes.  Each classroom has a piano which i loved. There is obviously a lot of time spent on art as the walls are covered with it, and all three schools visited mentioned the same thing about art being a part of each day.  Starts around 8:30, ends around 2:30.  Wednesdays are shorter days with class ending at 1:30.

stairs leading to older kids classrooms - i asked if it said "1, 2, 3..." and she said "no, it sounds from music...do, re, me - so they can sing as they walk up the stairs."

there is something really adorable about teeny tiny urinals.

yes, shoes off...they wear class slippers when they are inside the buildings. i adore this custom

school is currently out for summer, these are the summer childcare program for working parents. they are eating in the multipurpose room - they also do performances here on the stage behind these kids as well as gymnastics class.

winter and summer/gymnastics uniforms which you buy when you turn in your registration.

bus picks kids up at the base gate, the teacher rides the bus and makes sure the parents are there waiting when they get off. they mentioned the bus to our base may be full already for this school year so we would potentially be driving our kids to school (the new school year starts in april in Japan) - we are mid-year right now.

kawashimo yochien - about 15 minutes another direction from the main gate.  The parking lot is not next to the school, so there is a little navigating to do to find the right path through people's yards to get to the actual school.  no english speaking staff as far as i know. there are many people who send their children to school here from base. it appears to be the least expensive option for preschool. it was a lovely facility, but definitely more dated and less tidy (in my opinion) than the other two.

some kawashima daycare kids

fun to see some of the artists' names in english and others in japanese

Minami Yochien - about 20 minutes from main gate, just a big past YouMe Town. This is the largest of the three schools. the woman pictured is one english speaking staff member, there are a couple more. one is my new friend who has offered to help me with some translating and asked me to help her jr. high daughter with english. yes!

they were all peeking out at us, more summer childcare kids in just one classroom

beautiful minami classroom

this place had lots of natural light and beautiful paint up on all the windows - felt very happy

little sinks in the hallway

had to get a picture of the slippers were were given at the door of each yochien. what a nice custom to keep things clean. brilliant actually....its refreshing to live in a country where they take really excellent care of everything and pay great attention to detail in everything they do.

emergency exit slide for upstairs classes...who wants to put preschoolers on a staircase when crisis strikes. another brilliant idea.

minami main yard - another courtyard play area at minami yochien

minami yochien lunchroom - you can see the food prep area where meals are cooked fresh on site. they eat standard japanese food. :) happy dance.

little pool at minami for swim lessons in hot months. how fun - an in-ground pool that is above ground.

winter (left) and summer (far right) uniforms with gym uniforms in the middle and little blue smocks that are worn during the school day.

after the preschool visits, on our way home, our awesome neighbor stopped at the dragonfly...its a lovely little consignment shop full of all sorts of treasures - a great place to buy used furniture. there was a whole rack of yukata and kimono - i could spend hours exploring this place. they had a tiny clothes dryers smaller than a mini-fridge (some of them were apparently a washer and dryer all in one. fascinating). i need to go back there with a japanese friend so i can ask all my questions. there are always questions....i love learning about life in japan!

our fun day ended at a little cafe similar to denny's (but better food options) called joyfull. our neighbor-tour guide said we had to try the shaved ice and yes, it was so wonderful! mine is a fruity syrup with ice cream on top and caroline's is green tea syrup with a yummy sweet red bean paste on top. can't wait to go back with the kids

there are two more yochiens to visit, we're planning a trip on tuesday. i am looking forward to having our decision made, our registration turned in and our suppies ready. it will be so odd sending my little man off to school 5 days a week, but i think he will absolutely love it and it will certainly allow me to turn my attention to creating more age-appropriate pre-pre-school activities for betsy as well as allowing me time to whip around our community and explore with only two children in tow, dabble with the details and decor of making our house our home and really delve into the professional development of continuous training for my birth services business and learning japanese. i am working on connecting with a japanese tutor who will come to my home, perhaps after bedtime hours so i may really do my best to get some language skills while here in this beautiful country. we still have no car, but my drivers license is handy to have as several friends have loaned me their car (and watched the kids) so i could go buy groceries or run occasional errands. other friends have met me at the post office to drive my packages to my front door while i transported my three babies on the bus back to our home. lots of time-consuming logistics with no car ( and LOTS of sweating)...but its certainly possible with planning and patience and helpful people every where it turn. yes, i am absolutely loving our time here. an added bonus this weekend: reid was able to come home from a week spent on okinawa with his squadron. they had to evacuate the jets from okinawa before the typhoon struck. we are certainly enjoying the unexpected time together while it lasts. the kids were super excited to see him walk through the door the other day!