The staff were friendly, and after signing up, took me for a small orientation of all the things that I would need to know. She also introduced me to a Japanese mum who is married to a Canadian. She was super friendly, and was willing to put up with my bad Japanese, which was great.
Pichan had a great time climbing over things and eating all the various toys around. He wasn't too much trouble to other kids, but was much stronger than them- even the kids twice his age- so I was a bit worried with the inevitable toy snatching that comes with sticking a bunch of babies in the room. He is not a violent baby, luckily (do they even exist).
All in all, it was a really fun time. We only stayed for an hour or so as I had to get Pichan back for his nap. We will definitely go back, as it was good for Pi to see other babies and hopefully become a little bit more social. It was also free; which is my favourite price.
Hi! I live in Tsurumi and I've been thinking about visiting this jidokan. I'm a bit hesitant since I speak like 0 Japanese. Do the staff speak English? Any other feedback would be great. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteWhen I went there, everyone spoke in Japanese. From memory, the registration form to join was short but in Japanese- with just the regular information needed such as name, address, etc.
Most places like this do have some rules though. I tried looking for the form with the rules on it, but I can't find it. The only one I can remember is that there are no snacks to be eaten inside because of kids with allergies. There is also a strict lunch time. For other jidokans it is 12-1pm. If you want to bring a bento, then many people all eat together at the appointed time. I think I have been there after 1pm and wasn't allowed to feed Pi his lunch inside, so I just fed him outside and it wasn't a big deal.
There is another Jidokan that I go to called Drop in Okurayama. If I have time tomorrow I will do a post about that. It is where I go these days because I can drive and park. One of the staff there speaks a bit of English.
In my experience, I have met lots of mums that want to practice their English, so if you get stuck you might get lucky and there might be someone who can help.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks for reading!
The 'Drop' playgroup post can be found here:
ReplyDeletehttp://akachaninjapan.blogspot.jp/2016/06/drop-kohoku-playgroup.html