In 2017, Mitsuyo Arahata, the former vice-principal of the head Japanese kindergarten, decided to independently expand her vision and launch her own kindergarten class. Supporting this decision was a group of committed preschool parents who wanted to have a place where their children could continue their immersion learning. There was also Mitsuyo’s own strong will to create a better place for the children, where they could be eager learners in an environment of two language immersion education. These elements set everything in motion to open a small kindergarten, along with teachers who had great life experiences and knowledge in early childhood education.
That is today’s Sui International Preschool.

The education that children receive at Sui can be thought of as “a gift to use in 20 years.” In about that time, the children who are in kindergarten now will become members of society, operating according to their ideals about life and their attitudes towards learning. At Sui, we strive to foster a specialized environment that nurtures these ideals and attitudes, and builds a strong base for their future as productive members of society. It is our mission to not only uphold a philosophy of teaching, but also see the results of education in practice 20 years from now, when we look forward to the children recognizing the fruits of their labor.

Sui is a small school at just 100 square meters. Thanks to its small size, however, we can build a careful and detailed educational　environment that caters to each individual child. We foster self-esteem and nurture children who can think for themselves and become leaders. By learning in a quality educational environment during this critical period of a child’s life, a period where they can absorb everything they experience, they can connect their interests to intellectual curiosity and inquisitiveness.

In Japan, true Global Education can only be achieved by nurturing the children’s abilities to express themselves well in Japanese. The ability to think in their mother tongue is vital for development.
The very basics of learning are experienced during early childhood. It is important to nurture those basics through phrases, words, expressions, songs, and stories that are unique to Japanese culture.

At Sui, we incorporate “Japanese Time” into our immersion program to help the children comprehend grade-appropriate material by the time they graduate and reach elementary school.
One of the key characteristics of Sui’s children is that they learn two languages—English and Japanese—at a level appropriate for their age.

Learning English isn’t as simple as being placed in an English-speaking environment. The children at Sui, who enjoy English and use it naturally amongst their friends, are the result of a rich educational environment that can only be achieved with a small and intimate class size.
The children at Sui have access to a wide range of educational opportunities, from public and
private elementary schools, to national and international elementary schools.
These opportunities are made possible by strengthening their confidence in the power of “Language.”

Children learn a lot through playing, and it is important to develop motor skills and physical abilities through working both the mind and body. In order to nurture individual thinking and active learning, children at Sui are given experiences that fully exercise their mind, body, and the five senses through play. Through this kind of fulfilling play, we can nurture stable emotions, an interest in the environment, and the children’s abilities to think and act on their own.

Experiences from early childhood creates the foundation of all future learning. According to a study, people develop physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually, and artistically the most during this period. This is the most important time of learning.
Inquiry-based learning brings forth children’s learning motivation and challenging spirit that lead to great discoveries. With these discoveries, new questions arise from the children, and that will become true learning beyond the separate subjects.

In inquiry-based learning, we sometimes encounter global topics beyond the school subjects. Children bring with them varied backgrounds and cultures, and they share their experiences at school. They learn beyond the boundaries of their small communities, and develop their understanding towards others to have a better sensibility. This is fundamental to nurture their international mindedness and perspectives. Their skill of having sympathy for others is especially required for this. At international schools, we value education with diverse international perspectives.

Children are curious beings who wish to see, wish to know, and
wish to touch. The curriculum at Sui Kindergarten is organized so that children full of curiosity can have many rich experiences suitable for their developmental age. It also includes learning about Japanese culture, which the children can then cherish and value. Learning through rich experiences is an asset that the children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

The word self-esteem is often difficult to translate into Japanese.
While it is sometimes translated as selfishness or arrogance, the true definition could not be more different. For native Japanese speakers, it can take some time to understand that self-esteem has a very positive meaning and connotation.
Self-esteem is the feeling of cherishing and valuing yourself, self-affirmation and confidence, and being comfortable with who you are. It allows us to respect other existences and identities, accept differences as a matter of nature, and understand that those differences have meaning and importance.
Cultivating self-esteem is necessary for building social skills, cooperation, autonomy and independence.

While spending their precious early childhood days in English, children naturally acquire the ability to think and problem solve, independence, exploration, language skills (English and Japanese), and play skills through rich experiences, nurturing the skills they will need for themselves 20 years from now.
Sui children have a wide range of career paths.
Here are some of the paths they have taken so far.