Home   >   Education   >   Horizon Japan International School

Horizon Japan International School

By on April 4, 2008

 

Update ———- HJIS Shibuya has been renamed to Jingumae International Exchange School ——-

Just a stone’s throw from Omotesando Hills, Horizon Japan International School’s Shibuya branch is located right next door to a Japanese elementary school. What an interesting coincidence, I thought. As it turns out, there is nothing coincidental about it at all.

Horizon Japan’s first school (pre-K to 9th Grade) was established in Yokohama in 2003. Following its success, the school board was looking to set up a new school in Tokyo, when a perfect opportunity presented itself.

Like many Japanese public schools, Jingumae Elementary was faced with a falling roll due to the hollowing out of downtown Tokyo. “Several meetings and discussions with the local authorities resulted in a model international school being established on Jingumae’s premises,” explains principal Mr. Selcuk Basak. “This has given our students the unique chance of being educated in English while also gaining exposure to Japanese culture.”

Horizon Japan was given one block of Jingumae’s building to refurbish in the style of their choice. The school’s colorful primary hues make a sharp contrast to the utilitarian grays and browns at the public school next door. Although the Shibuya branch only opened in May last year, it has already attracted 31 students from pre-K to 5th grade.

Concerned about cultural conflicts, some of the Japanese parents and staff at Jingumae Elementary were initially worried about sharing their campus with international students. “There were some anxious looking faces at our opening ceremony. But after they saw how well the kids all played together, everyone was relaxed and smiling by the end of the day!” Selcuk recalls.

While the two schools maintain independent curriculums, the children come together twice a day to play in the shared schoolyard. They also have monthly combined cultural events, such as a tea ceremony and the undokai (sports day). This intercultural exchange has proved successful, as reflected by a surge in the number of new first graders enrolling at Jingumae Elementary this spring.

Mr. Norris’ first and second graders gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the chance to play with Japanese children their own age. “We all love playing dodge ball together!” they chorused.

For Ms. Yoshie Kizmaz, visiting her 5-year-old daughter’s class while I was there, this is one of the obvious advantages of Horizon Japan. “Although we chose an international school, we also wanted to expose our kids to Japanese, too.”

Horizon Japan offers Japanese classes both for students at near-native level and for those beginning Japanese study. ESL classes are available for students who need extra help with English. Students can also participate in after school activities, ranging from language classes to sports to cooking, at no extra charge. There are plans to add a junior/senior high school in the Tokyo area in the near future.

On the way out, Selcuk showed me the collective “school story” that the whole student body is working on. Any child can make suggestions for adding to the plot, which centers on the principal’s visit with some aliens. “Each week I pick the best one and so the story grows.” Combining intercultural exchange with a family-like atmosphere, Horizon International is looking forward to a bright future.

Horizon Japan International School, Shibuya Campus (03) 5413-6090

www.horizon.ac.jp

About Tokyo Families