I'm bringing my family to the Japan Preschool Program this June!

I chanced upon this advertisement on Facebook, which featured this exchange program. Curiosity got a hold of me, and I started discussing with my wife the possibility of bringing our son to this program.

After I signed our family up for the experience, the local news in Singapore featured an article on it: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-preschool-early-childhood-development-overseas-exchange-japan-culture-academic-curriculum-parents-4803941. 

The news article was timely because my mother and mother-in-law raised many doubts about the program. I was never going to budge anyway, but since others had raving reviews of it, it helped to put my mother's mind at ease for our son.

The Whys

I have been to Narita Airport for many transit flights over the past seven years because I lived in Florida, and that was a transit hub when I travelled back to Singapore. However, I have never stepped out of the airport once, and this will be my first time in Japan with my son!

However, my son is under two now, and traveling with a toddler means we must constantly focus on him.

The preschool exchange allows me to spend time alone with my wife while my son is at school. Since school ends at 4 pm, we'll spend weekday evenings and weekends together.

You might think, "Isn't this normal routine for most families?"

That is undoubtedly true if you're living together. In my case, I'm waiting for my wife to get her green card and for my son to apply for one. I've been away from my family for several months at work.

If I want my son to be blessed, I've got to take care of my wife. She is the primary nourisher for my son, and her well-being has an outsized influence over my son's well-being.

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table." Psalm 128:3 (ESV)

I can spend quality time with my wife while my son is at school, and we get to do it as a vacation in Japan. It may not have the glamour of Tokyo, but exploring a new place with my wife is interesting.

My son will escape from a concrete jungle and be closer to nature, which is what my wife wants for him.

The Plan

The most opportune time to bring my son to this program is when he is slightly below two years old, for the following reasons:

• Most airlines allow toddlers under two to share a seat with an adult on a flight, which saves money.
• Most children under two are not usually conversant with their language. I hope his classmates are still babbling in baby talk, and my son will not be left out due to the language barrier.
• Children under two are still in one of their most innocent stages of their lives. 
  • If he messes up, there is typically little judgment from the adults. 
  • The children won't care too much about each other at this age.

After the trip, I will provide a review to see if my assumptions were correct.

How Do You Start?

When you visit the program's website, you might be tempted to select a date to serve a slot for your family because they seemingly give options. However, this is not going to work out well.

This is because they have unspoken guidelines not featured on the site. 

• Each school can only take one international student at any given time.

The unspoken guideline makes sense, especially for schools with no English-speaking staff support, because they will be overwhelmed by the need to support international students who do not speak their language. Thus, they will reject applications if an existing international student is on their premises.

Your first action is to speak with a coordinator by clicking the "Apply/Inquire" button at the top right of the home page. The coordinator will resolve any questions or arrangements with you.

My coordinator, Reia, spoke excellent English — no worries about communication at the start.

I wanted to bring the family to Hokkaido, Hazeru Child Care Center, because it was well-featured on the news and social sites. However, when I tried to book it in late 2024, there was a long waitlist, which continued until April 2026.

We settled on Shonai Town, Yamagata, at Colorful Preschool. Apparently, we are their first international visitors to their preschool program. 

Best of all, there is no English-speaking staff in the midst.

It makes me feel slightly nervous but exhilarated at the same time. I wish I had persevered with my Japanese language lessons over ten years ago. 

Reia has assured us that language would not be a problem, and other schools without English-speaking support hosted their international visitors well. I am confident this is true because of the number of Singaporeans who took up this program, too.

Besides, the age of AI is upon us. Google Lens and Translate can help to bridge language barriers. Remember to get data roaming, though.

Reia advised us to get the Line app, their default messaging app. They also have a WhatsApp account, where I posted follow-up questions to Reia, and they responded during business hours.

You'll be given an account in their portal with a To-Do list. It'll automatically email you a reminder to follow up on the tasks before the due date.

As of this writing, I haven't had an online meeting with the teacher, but I will follow up with a post if there's anything noteworthy.

Shonai Town, Yamagata Preview

If you like rice, this is the place to be.

There isn't a bullet train (Shinkansen) to Shonai Town or the airport. The most convenient way to get to the town is to fly from Haneda to Shonai Airport for an hour, and then rent a car to drive to Shonai Town for twenty minutes.

I never imagined my first trip to Japan would be my first time driving there. I'm not worried about left- or right-hand driving because I drive in both Singapore and the US, but I'm slightly concerned if I can't read the Japanese language on road signs.

The trusty Google Maps should do the trick for navigation, and I should provision additional time for travel in case I make a wrong turn.

We will check in on Sunday at 3 pm and check out on Saturday before 11 am after two weeks. The program allows you to spend 1 to 3 weeks by default, but you can ask for more. You'll have to make your plans with a coordinator.

School is from 9 am to 4 pm. There's no mention of whether there are extra charges for tardiness, but it is a family holiday, and we are unlikely to be late.

It is going to be warm because it is summer. Reia mentioned that if it gets too warm, the schools will prevent children from playing outside to prevent heat injuries.

The accommodation looks good from the photos, and I took the "JPE House Shonai" which has two floors. They also provide family-friendly child and baby equipment, such as:

• Thermometers
• Nail clippers
• Diaper supplies
• School bags
• Child toilet seat
• Children's tableware
• Baby food cutters
• Bottle sterilizers

I don't know what size these diapers are. We are bringing ours anyway since we ordered from Amazon.

This program is tailored to digital nomads and provides a co-working space. I may have to set up a call for work, but I don't think I will visit the co-working space much.

For preschool programs, there were occasions in other schools where parents participated in activities such as fruit harvesting or exploring the farms. As we are their first international visitors to this preschool, I have no information on whether we will be doing outdoor activities with our son. Hopefully, they will have a couple while we are there, and this will be one of the questions I would like to ask the teachers.

How much does the program cost?

For two weeks, JPY 661,800 covers:

• Accommodation
• School fees

JPY 661, 800 is roughly:

• USD 4,564.73 total / USD 326.05 per day
• SGD 5,908.55 / SGD 422.04 per day

It does not cover:

• Transport
• Food

The amount is subject to change based on foreign exchange rates.

It is comparable to a mid-high-end hotel stay. However, they don't have a preschool for children.

Whether it is worth it or not depends on the beholder. In my case, I haven't had family time for a few months, and this is my first time in Japan with my son.

If this is a great experience, I don't mind doing it again. It would benefit me greatly to embrace the language and culture because of my work.