Preparations For The Japan Preschool Program

During an online meeting, I had a great experience with the Japanese preschool staff!

This meeting is scheduled roughly one to two months before we start our preschool experience. It is around 40 minutes (or as much time as Zoom allows in a free account), and these are what we covered in this meeting:

• Introductions
• Advice, guidelines, and protocols
• Questions and answers for both the school and us

I was surprised that the teachers prepared English flashcards with their names and roles within the school! The principal, Toru-san, and two teachers had their flashcards, waving at us enthusiastically to introduce themselves!

It's a humbling experience because I prepared nothing for our introductions.

Then, the principal said they would get someone to pick us up from the airport with a flashcard with my name on it. The person would help us on our journey to our accommodation and accompany us to the school on our first day!

Honestly, I did not expect this great hospitality from the school, and I'm unsure if every school within the Japan Preschool program would do that. It takes twenty minutes to drive from the Shonai airport to the town and ten minutes from our accommodation to the school.

It takes significant time and effort to ensure we are warmly welcomed, and I appreciate their gesture.

Renting A Car In Shonai

After our introductions, the principal verified if I had prepared my international driving permit (IDP) and if I had booked a rental car for this trip. It isn't easy to explore Shonai without a vehicle.

Renting a car in Japan is easy, as their website is in English. I never rented a car in Japan before, and I randomly picked ORIX Rent-A-Car for car rental service.

Total rental charges: 136,400 yen (tax included)

• Rental: 126,390 yen
• Child seats: 1,100 yen
• ETC card: 330 yen (for automatic toll payment)
• Rental car Assistance Pack (RAP): 8,580 yen

I'm renting a car for two weeks, and the cost is approximately USD 938.49 / SGD 1,215.32, subject to the foreign exchange rate. That's USD 67.03 / SGD 86 per day, which is reasonable.

In the United States, getting an IDP costs me USD 38. It's much cheaper in Singapore at SGD 20, but I wasn't in Singapore to make the application.

Adapting To Shonai And Japan

With transport matters out of the way, we discussed our child. As Shonai is famous for rice agriculture, the teachers were concerned that my son was afraid of insects and asked about it.

To be honest, Singaporean parents are more afraid of insects than toddlers. My son has never shown fear of insects under two, and I think he doesn't know what they are in the first place.

The teachers asked about my son's eating habits and if he has a tendency or preference. Regarding food, I'm incredibly proud of my son because he is a great eater and isn't picky. He will finish his food and ask for more.

My son has a peculiar preference for texture, though. When we mash avocado for him, he eats it with glee. However, when we give him an avocado that isn't mashed, he bites on it, and if he doesn't like its texture, he spits it out. 

I tried to explain to him that it is the same food. However, my son continues to spit food out if he doesn't like its texture.

The school offers some sort of decaffeinated tea for children, and they asked if my son could have it as part of his meals. Tea is essential to the Japanese lifestyle, and we are sure the tea they offer is suitable for children. This is going to be my son's first experience with tea.

Dealing With Separation Anxiety

The teachers then verified whether my son had preschool experience and sleeping habits. If you're thinking of bringing your toddler to this program, I recommend exposing your toddler to preschool first because you'll have to deal with separation anxiety.

If your child isn't manageable after some time, the school may have to call you to pick them up. 

I'm pleased that my son no longer cries when he goes to school in Singapore and can drag his bag to his class without supervision. It doesn't mean he's not going to feel separation anxiety on this trip, but I'm hoping he can deal with it in our Japan preschool program since he has experience with it.

The teachers asked if we could pick up our son for his first day at noon. We appreciate that because it is a new environment for our son, and he needs time to adjust.

Nap time isn't a problem because my son can sleep in school. The school has blankets and bedding, so we don't have to worry.

Other Questions & Answers

The rest of our conversation revolved around questions and answers for any regular preschool admission: drug allergies, medical concerns, things to bring for my son's backpack, and the need for a thermometer because they will check my son's body temperature before he can attend school.

Every day items for preschool:

• Diapers
• Clothes
• Towel
• Laundry bags
• Water bottle

I might miss a couple of items because my wife usually packs them.

Beyond the standard items, the school kindly mentioned they would lend us anything we lacked. We'll try to be as self-sufficient as possible since we don't want to be a burden.

I asked if there were preschool events that my wife and I could attend with our son. Unfortunately, there weren't any at that particular time. The teachers asked if we had any particular request for an event, but I quickly declined.

I'm really thankful for their hospitality, but I'm unsure if I can withstand the weight of all this hospitality.

The principal will give us daily reports of our son through the Line app. It's great because my Line app has translation capabilities, and I'm excited to know what my son's day would look like.

There are thirteen children in the class. My wife asked if the children were conversant in their language, and I was right. There aren't many kids who can speak well before two.

My son should be able to communicate with his classmates with random sounds and gestures since everyone's language ability is at the same level.

That's all we had for our conversation. Zoom's free account kicked us out once it reached forty minutes, and the coordinator called to apologize for the abrupt end. 

The principal also sent me an email to apologize.

This online meeting made me even more excited about our upcoming trip. It was pleasant, and I'm looking forward to memorable moments with my family.