1st Day of Japanese Preschool - (Yochien)

When we moved to Japan we wanted our girls to learn the language (just as Sean did on his mission) and since Kelea is at the perfect age to absorb it we decided to enroll her in "Yochien" (preschool). We researched various ones & found that "Mikasa" got the best recommendations from parents who had their children there. We also wanted a school that didn't have a lot of American children so that she would learn Japanese instead of speaking English. Mikasa just started allowing Americans last year so there are very few (my friend Nina's daughter who is half Japanese was the first). There is one other American girl in her class whose mom also works at the Naval hospital (she & Kelea get along well). The school is a Catholic Yochien that has a lot of very specific rules & procedures especially when it comes to the uniform, obento (lunch) & labeling every school supply in Hiragana. It's funny to think that our Mormon American daughter is now attending Japanese Catholic school! :) Yes, it's costly to start, but their focus on art, music & language combined with their adorably sweet teachers makes us happy with our decision! I also feel secure knowing that it only takes 5 minutes to drive there in case of an emergency since it's right outside the gates. Above is a picture of Kelea with her teacher Otani san (so patient and kind). We feel very fortunate to be here with our children. It's exciting to see them learning the customs, values and traditions of this beautiful country. The video below shows cute clips from her 1st day.