Enjoy this short video snippet about Kikokushijo Academy from our 2024 Expo.
Transcript
Kikokushijo Academy
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hello, we are here with Junko from K International School. Welcome.
Kikokushijo Academy: (00:05) Hi. Hello there.
ISTimes Global: (00:07) Uh I have uh heard about your school for the last 20 years. Um since I’ve uh since I’ve been in Japan. Uh I first uh heard it as an after school for uh returnees. And uh now 20 years afterwards, I see you have a desk here where you have an uh international school and a community of hundreds of kids.
Kikokushijo Academy: (00:30) Yeah.
ISTimes Global: (00:31) So, please, uh tell me a bit about the school’s journey and uh uh a bit about the school culture.
Kikokushijo Academy: (00:36) All right, sure. So, um this is KA Kikokushijo Academy and Kikokushijo Academy is a cram school for returnees and bicultural students. Uh we currently have over 3,700 students. Uh students from many different uh countries as well as many different backgrounds. We have students who have never lived overseas, uh but grew up in kind of an international school environment or maybe their parents speak English to them. So we have a lot of students. I’m actually a former student of KA as well.
ISTimes Global: (01:03) Really?
Kikokushijo Academy: (01:04) Um, yeah, so when I was in fifth grade, I actually lived in California for 10 years and I came back to Japan and I enrolled in KA as a cram school and after school student. And I had my Juken journey there. K helped me a lot with maintaining my English skills. But not only that, I think KA is very unique in a way because it builds a community of bicultural students, a lot of students who are struggling with their identity, um, coming back to Japan, uh, immersing themselves into Japanese cultures. Again, I think a lot of us can relate to struggling. Um, but I think K has founded a community of students with uh similar backgrounds and just the understanding of it’s okay to be a returnee and let’s let’s bring out the best of that and um learn how to uh be a member in Japanese society again. So I think that’s what makes KA special. And it’s been amazing seeing K uh K’s growth over the last 20 years. When I was a student, we only had uh maybe 100 students or so. Right now, we have 3,700 students. Uh, we have schools, um, nine schools in Tokyo, uh, and we keep growing, so it’s been amazing being part of this journey.
ISTimes Global: (02:16) Could you tell me about uh what’s the typical experience for um a child that goes to K school? What are um what can they expect?
Kikokushijo Academy: (02:25) Yeah, so I think K is really different from other cram schools because we are an all English school environment. Uh, we don’t speak any Japanese with our students. Once they come to KA, it is an all English environment. And a lot of um our students kind of miss that from the countries that they live overseas. So in a way, it’s kind of like a second home for them. They’re able to be themselves, they’re able to speak English again, uh, which they might not be able to get if they’re going to a Japanese school. Of course, we’re international school students, that’s a little bit different, but a lot of our students also just go to Japanese school and they come to KA for two hours a week. Um, of course, it’s it’s not uh great to just uh learn English for two hours a week. So we also offer a lot of online programs where students can join English classes throughout the week. Uh, it’s a program called KA Plus and from 4:00 to 8:30, uh, we have live classes for students to join. So I think a typical student would come to KA uh on campus or online for the two hours of their core class, and then they take English classes um throughout the week. Uh, the English classes can include art classes, science classes. Um, and so I think that’s what a typical KA student would experience.
ISTimes Global: (03:37) Um, yeah. Well, you’ve been very successful uh over the years just with the growth and many schools have actually tried to do what you succeeded at doing. Um, what do you think draws um the the parents. Of course, I think you’ve very eloquently talked about how the kids really enjoy the program and I uh really appreciate that. But what what do you think draws the parents to uh uh the the uh school and um uh makes them choose this school over others and where and where do they hope that their kids would go afterwards?
Kikokushijo Academy: (04:11) Yeah, I think that’s a great question. Um, I think a lot of students or parents are attracted to uh KA because of our results as well. Um, we have a lot of uh returnees who are now adults, uh who went through the Juken journey going coming back to Japan, going to a Japanese middle or high school or international school, going to university and becoming successful adults. And I think um a lot of parents see that and say, well, if I send my child, daughter or son to KA, they’ll become adults like that. Um, so I think that’s one of the things that uh draws uh our uh the attention. But also like I uh like I’m saying, our community is so special. Um, our it’s just uh a lot of love and care. Um, it’s something that I still talk about um from of uh 15, 18 years ago, I still remember the teachers that taught me. Um, we do have a lot of it’s it’s just a loving and caring environment and I think that’s what makes KA special and I think parents can feel that as well. Uh, the support that we provide for our students, not just in their academic journey, but in their uh journey as uh becoming a um global-minded student.
ISTimes Global: (05:26) Yeah. Thank you so much. Uh I think uh your I think your school has not finished in its growth and I uh and I look forward to learn more about your uh international school. Thank you.
Kikokushijo Academy: (05:37) Thank you. Thank you so much.
About Kikokushijo Academy
- Official name: Kikokushijo Academy (KA)
- Location: Tokyo, Japan (9 campuses)
- Student population: 3,700+ students
- Specializes in education for returnees and bicultural students
- All-English environment that serves as a “second home” for students
- Offers both on-campus and online programs (KA Plus)
- Unique community supporting students’ cultural identity and academic success
- Helps students reintegrate into Japanese society while maintaining English skills
- Strong track record of students succeeding in Japanese and international schools
