Choosing a Japanese Preschool

I want to talk a bit about my experiences choosing a school for my 4 year-old.

In Chizu there are only 2 options: Suwa Hoikuen (Suwa nursery school) and Mori no Yochien (forest kindergarten).

I had heard about Mori no Yochien before I even left for Japan and I thought it was an amazing idea and I definitely wanted to send Yana there.

You can watch this documentary about the school:

By chance I happened to meet a group from Mori no Yochien one day while I was watching my students practice for the sports festival. I talked with S, who is married to a Dutchman and who's son attends Mori no Yochien. I arranged through her to have a trial day at the kindergarten, which cost Y1,000.

Doing a trial day is a great way of getting a feel for a school. We attended on Monday, which was cooking day. Yana was able to learn to use a knife for the first time, and she helped make miso soup over a fire.

I thought it was really great that she was learning these kinds of practical skills. And experiencing the fresh air and environment of the mountains. But there were some problems. Because the kids are playing in the wild, they have important rules to follow. So naturally, the first thing Yana did was break the most important rule - always play where an adult can see you. I don't know if it was because we were there, but the teachers completely ignored the fact that Yana had run off on her own and was unable to be seen. Because Yana can't understand or speak Japanese, she tended to isolate herself and play on her own. I felt like in this situation it could be dangerous for her to always be by herself.

The cooking area at Mori no Yochien.

There were some other things that made me hesitant too. I felt uncomfortable with the attitude of the teachers. I felt like Yana might not be able to pick up the language very well outside of a classroom. I felt like the school in general was too extremist. I wondered how these kids did when they had to suddenly adapt to regular elementary school.

So we decided to do a trial visit to Suwa. It was free, although we could pay a small fee to leave Yana there alone for a trial day.

One of the classrooms at Suwa.

Immediately I felt at ease and very welcomed at Suwa. The kids have lots of room to play outside, but are fenced in, so no worries of Yana wandering off on her own and falling in a river. The kids were very friendly and even gave Yana hugs when we left. The kids follow an educational curriculum during the week and they also have Saturday school, where the kids are allowed free play. The school also takes walks in the forest, so the kids get to experience nature up close as well.

The library at Suwa.

In the end, both schools have pros and cons. I really wanted to send Yana to Mori no Yochien, but I feel like right now the right decision is to send her to Suwa. I still like the idea behind Mori no Yochien and I hope to attend occasionally, so that she can experience things like chasing lizards, hiking, and playing in the river. But the relaxed feeling I felt being at Suwa definitely solidified it in my mind as the right choice, and I am really glad we decided to give it a chance after all.


Edit: After writing this I was informed that Suwa is only for children who have both parents working. Justin talked about it with one of the locals and he said that a lot of the moms just work in a garden or something. Anyway, I mentioned it to my supervisor, so there's now some sort of discussion going on about whether or not Yana will be allowed to attend...