Coming to Japan with Kids, Need International School

[japanophile]

Hi Everyone
Moving to Japan from UK next summer with kids 8 and 5.
We are trying to decide which International School to apply for in Japan. My wife is from Hiroshima so we are thinking about that region, or at least as far up as Osaka down to Fukuoka. One important thing is that they keep up with their Japanese if they go to an international school.
Has anyone experienced the international schools in Japan?
They all have good websites but need objective reports and to find out how they shape up academically. We were thinking of starting off in Hiroshima so would appreciate any reports on that school. Fukuoka looks very nice and there are a lot of good reports about the area on the web, not much about the school that is based there though. We also need to take into account things like the general quality of life for a young family.
Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[craftsman]

I know it's not what you're asking for - but have you considered normal Japanese schools?

 

[japanophile]

Hi craftsman, thanks for your reply

That is one option. My son has attended a local Japanese school for a few weeks last summer when he was in Japan. Not sure about whether they could get picked on for looking slightly different as they are "half". From reading reports on the net there seems to be a bit of a bullying problem in japanese state schools at the moment.

Then there is the issue of how to keep up their English! Part of the reason we are moving over is because its so hard for him to study Japanese one day a week (at Japanese saturday school) and keep up with the rest of his class, who mainly have both japanese parents, here in London.
Somehow we have to come up with a compromise so that the kids are happy learning both languages and not made unhappy by the extra pressure this could bring.

 

[craftsman]

I was only making the suggestion because my children were exactly the same age when we returned to Japan from a few years in the UK.

Despite having limited Japanese at first they went to normal state school. They have never been bullied and their difference in looks works more as an advantage than anything else! Keeping up English requires a little effort on everyone's part but can be done happily.

The education systems are quite different so if you were looking for something that closely matched British education then maybe international school would be more to your liking. But sometimes it's nice to be aware that there are choices!

 

[Mars Man]

Welcome to Jref japanophile san !! I hope that as you stick around and chat with those of us who have kids here, and such too, you'll start to feel more comfortable with your move, and settle down more quickly.

I have three sons. They have all gone through the Japanese system and none of them have gotten any bullying--although I will have to be fair in saying that we live out in the country side, and there is much, much less bullying here.

I agree that being from a mixed marriage, in most cases, is an advantage. My oldest son (third year highschool now) looks more Japanese, but the two younger ones...(jr. high second year, and elementary 6th) look more like me...caucasion. The little ones play soccer, and that seems to go well too.

I wish you and your family the best. I have always used English in the house, and my oldest son can pretty much speak it naturally. The other two are coming along. I have one friend at a nearby university who teaches (along with his wife) their child at home...the only drawback is the lack in intersocial skills, I'm afraid.

I look forward to seein YOU 'round !!

 

[japanophile]

Thanks for your kind messages, Mars Man and craftsman.
Its good to know there's somewhere to turn to for advice.
It looks like the missus wants to start off in her home town in Hiroshima so I guess that's where we'll be heading. So we have to weigh up whether its more beneficial to enroll in the HIS international school or try out a local school and do extra curricular english. She's worried that if we stay long term, the children won't have enough Japanese to enroll in further education in Japan. So much more to find out...

 

[MajideSaiaku]

I dont have kids to only lightly considor my advice, but, From what I gather of multi-lingual families in the UK, keeping up the mother tongue is easy, since its ussually spoken at home, while the kids learn and use English outside of the home, or at school.

A normal school sounds like a good idea, I dunno how long you plan on living in Japan, perhaps until your kids have flown the nest or until your old and croak it, heh.
If thats the case, I would suggest just a normal "state" school are they called?.

Kids seem to learn languages much easily and much faster then us boring adults so, aslong as English is kept up at home and stuff, it shouldnt be a problem.

As for Japanese, well, just living in the heart of Japanese speaking area's will do wonders, I am really bad at learning languages the traditional way but a few months in Japan immersed in the language was a good jump-board.

 

[Karamuucho]

I hope the following helps a little

I attended an international school in Japan for 1 year before moving to England at 6, I have friends from said school who were there for 3~6 years before moving to England (apparently I started a trend!). We all found the transition to an English country easy, as our English was about as good as any of the locals. Those that were there for a longer period of time had fluent Japanese (perhaps because they were actually in the country). Being in the country definitely makes a difference, as I once heard, immersion is much better to learn a language than any school.

However, personally my Japanese had plumetted after moving. I went to the West Acton saturday school to keep my Japanese, I attended the class for natives (if I remember correctly there were also classes for those born and raised in England), but I was left behind and my motivation quickly disappeared, my sister and I quit the school after 3 years. I guess for your children it would also depend on wether they actually have the motivation to keep and/or improve thier English abilities.

Now on bullying, as in any country bullying happens, and as in any country it affects some more than others. In an international school, because we were around so many of our own, racially-motivated bullying was non-existant, but ofcourse it was a school, so bullying for childish reasons still existed (height, stature, etc) but nothing serious. As for normal Japanese schools, as Japanese society outside of Tokyo goes, don't be surprised if they are singled out in both good and bad ways, but in both cases it really depends on your children's personalities and attitudes, if they can confront it head on and use the fact that they are "half" to their advantage, I'm sure their time there will be easier.

Back to language (as I'm sure this is important to you), since leaving the school my interest in Japan shot through the roof, and I went on to learn the language myself, I beleive I have a good knowledge of the language (those on the Japanese section of this forum have been kind enough to agree) but my speaking still has a pretty bad accent to it, and my kanji writing is bad, without a computer that is, haha. My sister has not shown an interest and has forgotten most of her Japanese (except for basics, but she still talks with the vocabulary of a 7 year old...). Even though I speak the language at home it really doesn't cover a broad range of subjects ("I'm making --- for dinner" "OK") so I wouldn't really count it as practical practice. Perhaps making English-speaking friends will help keep your kids' English better than just speaking it at home. In England, since my friends from Japan moved a long while after I did, and the few I do keep in touch with I speak to in English, I had no friends who spoke Japanese.

Hope that helps a bit! (Whew, sure was long enough!)

 

[japanophile]

Thanks a lot for your input Karamuucho!

 

[Iron Chef]

Rabby International School in Kashiihama has a decent program. Located near Uminonakamichi seaside park and about 20 minutes from downtown Fukuoka. A bit pricey though per head and co-managed by Seiha Network. They have quite a diverse group of children who attend regularly. I used to PT there on occasion and can vouch for the quality of staff as well as the curriculum. PM me if you wanna know more or need specific contact info.