Enjoy this short video snippet about Kikokushijo Academy from our 2025 Tokyo Expo.
Transcript
We spoke with Chris Colucci (Chief Operating Officer).
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hi, I’m here with Chris at Kikokushijo Academy. Hi Chris.
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (00:05) Hi, how are you doing today?
School History
ISTimes Global: (00:06) I’m doing great. Can you tell us a little bit about KA’s history and background?
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (00:12) Sure. So KA started back in 2004 and at the time we were trying to create an afterschool international school for returnee students and bicultural children. And we really wanted to uh keep the native level language that these students learned when they were living overseas and maintain it. So they would be speaking at a grade level as though they were still living there. Um but also, more important than that, we were also trying to create an environment uh where they could spend time with their peers and students just like them so that they can feel comfortable.
ISTimes Global: (00:44) Nice. Sounds great.
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (00:45) Oh, actually, let me let me uh add on to that a little bit. Uh our slogan at the time was afterschool International school and now we’ve actually uh evolved into English for a lifetime. And over the 20 years that KA has been around, uh we now offer online programs so students can study with us before they even return to Japan. And then while they’re studying with us, obviously, there’s the same level of love and support. But afterwards, we now have a robust alumni program where we stay connected to them even after they leave KA.
Academic Life
ISTimes Global: (01:15) Nice, sounds great. Can you tell us a little more about academics at KA? What’s learning like there?
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (01:21) Sure. So, uh learning is wonderful. Uh it’s an adventure. Uh I would say the program that we uh are most proud of that we focus on is our sixth grade Juken program. So these are students that are trying to get into a junior high school. Uh there are two paths into most junior high schools. One is the regular entrance exam and one is the special returnee program. So we specialize in preparing kids to enter through that program. Uh it’s very challenging and tough. It’s a great year of growth for the students, both emotionally, intellectually. Uh and so we focus heavily on that. We’re very proud of our ability to get students into all of their schools of choices. Uh that’s something that we’re very proud of. And we think the we are able to have that success with students because we don’t focus just on teaching to the exam, but holistically growing the entire uh the entire child. Uh one other unique program that I’d like to offer about academics is KA Plus. So it’s a subscription online program for group live lessons. So these are not pre-recorded lectures. Uh it’s actually a uh live teacher along with other students. So not only can uh students interact with the teacher, but with other students as well. Uh and these classes range in topics from more academic standard vocabulary, grammar, etcetera, to more uh fun topical classes on let’s say history or science or mathematics.
Extracurricular Activities
ISTimes Global: (02:47) Speaking of educating the whole child, can you tell us a little bit about how students get involved outside of the classroom? So more extracurricular things.
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (02:56) Yes, absolutely. So we have a dedicated community engagement team. So we have ongoing annual events uh such as winter holiday events or Halloween events at all the schools where kids come dressed up in costume, uh or spring picnic events uh where we uh eat together and play sports in the field together. Uh we try to recreate some of the experiences that students may have experienced uh at their schools abroad. We also do overnight trips to places like British Hills that combine a bit of fun plus academics all in one weekend. Uh we also uh recently have restarted our Inspire Tokyo events. Think TEDx talks for kids. And so what we do is the goal of this is to bring in um people living in Japan, working in Japan to talk about their careers and passions to show students the importance of maintaining English for a lifetime.
Lasting Memories at Kikokushijo Academy
ISTimes Global: (03:49) Great. If you had some memories that you think graduates from the KA school will have as a graduate, what are some of the highlights you think the kids will remember from their time at KA?
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (04:01) I think their highlights would revolve around this year of Juken. We call it the Juken journey. Um we often throughout the year are challenging students to uh think differently, to look ahead uh at their future, to plan now to be where they want to be academically and emotionally. And it’s it’s a challenging year and one that uh we find that all of our students fully embrace. And we encourage reflection um at our year-end Juken event with all uh all of our Juken graduates gather in a big space and we ask them to reflect upon the previous year and how far they’ve come. And then we inspire them to carry that same energy into junior high school and beyond. And when we talk to students that return to KA, they always talk about the Juken year and how they were inspired to take that energy uh for the rest of their lives.
ISTimes Global: (04:53) All right, thank you so much for your time, Chris. It was great talking to you.
Kikokushijo Academy (Chris): (04:56) Thank you.
About Kikokushijo Academy
- Specialized school for returnees and bicultural students, founded in 2004
- Mission: Maintain native-level English while providing a supportive peer community
- Offers both in-person and online programs (“English for a lifetime”)
- Strong alumni network that stays connected after graduation
- Specializes in the 6th grade Juken program for junior high school entrance
- KA Plus online subscription for live interactive group lessons
- Focuses on holistic student development beyond just academics
- Annual events like British Hills trips and Inspire Tokyo career talks
- Helps students transition back to the Japanese education system
- Located in Tokyo with multiple campus locations
