Bilingual Household
お役立ち情報・ネタLiving overseas can be a challenge with the language barrier and acclimating to the a new culture and customs. Of course if you speak the language then that is one hurdle you won't have to overcome. Raising your own family away from family and friends can seem overwhelming at times. One of the questions that will come up is what to do for schooling.
Today I want to talk about raising a child in a bilingual household. Why did I choose bilingual household as the theme? That is because I can use my own family as an example.
My Family
I actually grew up in a bilingual household as well, my mother being Japanese and my father being American. I have my own experiences growing up, which I believe has better prepared me to raise my own child in a bilingual household.
My wife Yui is from Toyonaka City and graduated from University of Montana, which is somewhere in the United States, is fluent in English. Me, growing up in a bilingual household and living in Osaka for the past 6 years, I would say I am fluent in Japanese. But of course I am still learning by increasing vocabulary and learning different nuances etc. Just to keep things simple Japanese is hard to language to learn and master! Maybe it is just hard for me.
Our daughter Emma is two years old and will be turning three this year. My wife and I believe it is important for children to go to day care or some sort of school while they are still young so they can learn how to socialize with their peers. We also believe it is important for children to go to day care for growth and development in general, especially language. I am not going to bore you with the details but there are a ton of studies done where researchers say language development is best from infancy to adolescence.
There are two options in day care, public (city run) or private. Within private day care, we have private Japanese day care and International day care. The language spoken at the international day care is English.
We applied to a few public day cares in our area but for some reason we were placed the waiting list. At least in the area we live in, there is a shortage of day care centers but more importantly a shortage of nursery school teachers (保育士). I believe the shortage is national since it is one of the talking points for politicians, but I could be wrong.
The only option we had was private day care.
To make a long story short, went and observed a few private days cares, compared the "tuition" with international schools, discussed the pros and cons of both, and voilà Emma goes to a international preschool. Initially we thought "Yeah, we'll teach Emma English at home!" But after further discussions and being real with ourselves, Emma is now attending International Day Care.
The majority of the time at home, the language spoken is English but Japanese is sprinkled in as well. We feel the learning is best done at school in a learning environment, and then we supplement what we can at home. For now Emma has been learning Japanese from her cousins, grandparents, and of course her mother.
We are happy with our decision, Emma can now make three or four word sentences in English. She has made Japanese friends, non-Japanese friends, and multi-national friends as well.
Granted not every family is fortunate enough or are in a position to send their children to day care or school at a young age before entering elementary school. I just wanted to share with you all our experience and the brief summary of our though process in making our decision.
International Schools in Osaka
Schools are one of the major factors in deciding where to live especially for families with children. As for International Schools, zoning is not a factor when deciding whether or not your child can attend. Although having one nearby makes life much easier for both parents and kids.
I would like to share a few International Schools and International Day Cares located in Osaka Prefecture.
Osaka International School・Senri International School
Located in Mihoh City, Osaka Prefecture. Minoh City is located directly north of Osaka City.
There are two schools on campus, hence the two names. These schools are considered the best international schools in the Kansai Region. The third largest English/European Language School and the largest in the Kansai Region.
Osaka International School:
Grades Kindergarten through Grade 12
Senri International School: Japanese Curriculum primary for students who have lived abroad. The term returnee students, returning to Japan from abroad.
Grades 7 through 12
School also provides extra curricular activities such as clubs and sports.
Address:
4-4-16 Onohara-nishi, Minoh, Osaka 〒562-0032
Minoh, Osaka
Japan
Recommended Areas to live:
(1) Minoh City: Onohara Nishi, Onohara Higashi, Imamiya, Senba Nishi/Higashi (New Station to open in 2023), Nishijuku (New station to open in 2023)
(2) Suita City: Aoyamadai, Fuishirodai, Furuedai
(3) Toyonaka City: Midorigaoka, Nishi Midorigaoka, Shin Senrimachi (Senri-chuo)
All of these areas are within a 15 minute drive to Osaka International・Senri International Schools
Osaka YMCA International School
Located in Kita-ku, North ward of Osaka City, directly north of Umeda Sky Building.
Osaka YMCA International School is an English-based international schools currently offers grades from pre-school to grade 9. Starting in September 2020, grade 10 will be added to the school curriculum, adding a grade until the school offers grades pre-school to 12.
The school year starts in September and ends in July.
Osaka YMCA International School offers over 20 clubs and Saturday school as well.
Address:
6-7-34 Nakatsu, Kita-ku, Osaka City 〒531-0071
Japan
Recommended Areas to live:
(1) Nakatsu: Near Osaka YMCA International school there are a number of apartment/condominiums providing family types units.
(2) Shin Osaka Area: North of Shin Osaka Station, in between Mikuni and Higashi Mikuni station is a convenient area for families to live.
(3) Suita City: along the Osaka Kitakyuko Line (extension of Mido-suji Metro), more specifically Ryokuchi-kouen Station and Momoyamadai Station.
(4) Toyonaka City: along the Hankyu Train Line
All areas are either within walking distance, 15 minute drive, or accessible by public transportation (Train)
Aiwin International School
Aiwin International School was founded and established in 2015 located in Yodogawa-ku (Yodogawa Ward) of Osaka City. This international day care provides classes between the ages of 1 and a half to 6 years old, early nursery to kindergarten. Each class consists of a homeroom teacher who is fluent in English as well as a Japanese teacher to assist. Not only do they provide a English curriculum, they also provide Japanese class to their students, at least once a week.
Aiwin Toyonaka School will open this year, April, 2020.
Address:
1 Chome-36-21 Nishimikuni, Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, 〒532-0006
Japan
Recommended Areas to live:
(1) Shin Osaka Area: North of Shin Osaka Station, in between Mikuni and Higashi Mikuni station is a convenient area for families to live.
(2) Suita City: Crossing the river just north of Aiwin will have you in Suita City. Suita City is also a family friendly.
(3) Toyonaka City: similar to Suita City, crossing the river just northwest you will enter Toyonaka City.
The closest station to Aiwin is Mikuni Station on the Hankyu Train Line. Access to the new Aiwin school in Toyonaka from Suita City is also a possibility.
W International Preschool
W Internation Preschool is located in Nishi-ku in Osaka City. This international preschool can be found just south of Utsubo Park, also known as Osaka City's Central Park. W International has two locations to provide preschool students with an English based curriculum. W International Preschool offers classes for kids as young as 1 year old to 6.
With the park being close by, the teachers and students spend a good amount of time learning outside as well.
Address:
4F 1-16-20 Utsubo Honmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka City 〒550-0004
Japan
2F 2-4-5 Itachibori, Nishi-ku, Osaka City 〒550-0012
Japan
Recommended Areas to live: The location of the school is a residential area, will introduce different areas within Nishi-ku.
(1) Utsubo Honmachi: Same address as the school, plenty of apartment/condominiums for families
(2) Enokojima: just west of Awaza station and Utsubohonmachi
(3) Kyomachibori: just north of Utsubo Park
(4) Shinmachi: South of Utsubo Park, also a residential area with units available for families.
The closest station being Awaza Station, on multiple metro lines, is a family friendly location. Areas introduced are within cycling distance.
Abroad International School
Abroad International School Osaka is an officially authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. Abroad International School provides an English-based comprehensive education which follows the Cambridge and UK National curriculum offering Early Learning and Primary School education. Early Learning, students between the ages of 1 and 5, Primary School grades 1 to 6.
Abroad International School also offers Saturday and Summer School as well.
Address:
1-3-2 Kita Horie Nishi-ku, Osaka City 〒550-0014
Japan
Recommended Areas to live: The location of the school is a residential area, will introduce different areas within Nishi-ku.
(1) Kita Horie: Same area code and address as the school
(2) Minami Horie: just south of the school, more of a residential area compared with Kita Horie.
(3) Shinmachi: located just north crossing Nagahori Road to the residential area of Shinmachi
(4) Minatomachi, Naniwa-ku: a quick 10 minute bicycle ride north to the school.
The closest station being Yotsubashi Staion on the Yotsubashi Metro Line. Areas introduced are within cycling distance, 10 minutes or less.
Smile International Preschool Morinomiya
Still a fairly new international preschool, established and opened in April 2019. There mission is to provide their students with the opportunity to become bilingual while living in Japan. Just like any other international school, Smile International provides their students with an environment where they have the opportunity to learn and experience multiple cultures. Classes are provided to students between the ages of 1 and 5 years old.
Address:
1-1-23 Uemachi Chuo-ku, Osaka City 〒540-0005
Japan
Recommended Areas to live: Areas east of Tanimachi 4-chome and 6-chome Stations, south of Osaka Castle Park in Chuo-ku Osaka City
(1) Uemachi: same location and address of Smile International
(2) Hoenzaka: the block just north of Uemachi and Smile International
(3) Morinomia-chuo: North Eastern block to Smile International
(4) Tanimachi 4-chome, 5-chome, to the east of Tanimachi Street. There are four or 5 condominium complexes along Tanimachi Street.
Located within a 13 minute walk to three different stations, Morinomiya, Tanimach 4-chome, and Tamatsukuri. The areas mentioned above are either within walking or cycling distance.
In the end, where you decide to live and raise a family might and will depend on the school you hope or your kids will attend. These were just a few of the many international schools in Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture. The areas mentioned are primarily residential, making everyday life convenient with the other facilities in the area such as supermarkets convenience stores etc. One area which I did not write about is Tennoji and Abeno. In the past, I wrote about public schools in Osaka, and Tennoji and Abeno dominated the list. There are a few international schools in Tennoji as well. If you and your family are thinking of International to public or vice versa I would recommend looking into properties in those areas as well.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask!