I live in Kyoto and have taught at private schools as well as at universities.  I started this in order to give professionals within a particular field a means to contribute.  We must think of education as a long term need.

In regards to the schools and organizations listed in our directory, they are located in a number of different regions in Japan.  Refugees from the Tohoku area are moving to different locales throughout Japan and thus we strive to help them in their new environments.  The schools listed have agreed to give tuition assistance for affected children.  In this way, we hope to create a model that addresses the issues resulting from the triple disasters of March 11, 2011 on a national level.  As for the lessons using Skype we have at this time one volunteer based in Australia and thus, there is the possibility for the international community becoming involved.  Surely, people are suffering financially and we hope that through these offers their burdens may be lightened ever so slightly.

After School Lessons for Tohoku Children Homepage

The first online classified website in the Kansai region or for that matter in Japan was KansaiConnect. Since then, the website has focused on other areas and other classified websites have popped up. However, last week, KansaiConnect bought a new domain and opened Kansai Classifieds on that domain, appropriately called KansaiClassifieds.com.

People who post ads to this site usually are associated with Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama and Shiga. There are categories to post ads for electronics, household things, English and Japanese, housing and more. If you have a suggestion, send them a request and they will consider adding it to the site.

If you are an English or Japanese teacher, there is also a section to post an ad about yourself to promote your service!

There are only a few ads listed right now, but traffic to the site has begun to increase now that the domain has been listed in Google.

If you have something to buy or sell, go to KansaiClassifieds, register and post your classified ad now! It is easy to do, fast and of course free!

The H1N1 virus is the culprit. It’s taking its toll on the Japanese students. But who’s complaining? The students aren’t. That’s for sure. What student doesn’t enjoy a day off from school.

Week after week, students are getting days off from school. This week it’s the 2nd grade class out for 2 or 3 days. Last week it was the 5th grade class. Before that it was another grade out. Groups of students are being hit one by one around the country. Public and private schools are canceling classes as levels of students sick with the virus reach more than 30%. The H1N1 virus is so widespread the education system is trying to keep entire schools from being victims.

While children seem to be getting the brunt end of the virus, it is not just a virus for kids. Adults can contract the virus just as well, and education officials know this. Teachers need a break from all the sick students traipsing the halls.

Tags: H1N1, H1N1 virus, Japan, Japanese, viruses, japan school system, japanese school system, holidays, days off

Do school officials collaborate with the Japan Meteorological Agency and decide to shutdown or postpone school? How does this process work?

Parents and their children are standing outside their homes this morning asking one another if they’ve heard the news about school. Is there school today? Is it postponed or is it cancelled? There seems to be quite a bit of confusion. Their kids are ready for school, umbrella in hand, yet parents are walking in circles, pacing back and forth in front of their houses because no one seems to know what school officials have decided.

Even though parents and students have paperwork given to them by their schools explaining the process, there seems to be a problem somewhere in the mix, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much confusion.

A part of the process involves watching for warnings and closings in the news on TV. When warnings and closings are present, it is obvious what to do. But what if your area or school is not listed when you turn on the TV?

Another part of the process involves a phone call from the school. The school calls the group leader’s home and announces the official decision. (Students gather in groups each morning and go to school. But when TV news takes down the warnings just before the time students normally leave their homes for school and the leader of the group has not been notified, worried parents and students begin to stress even more. Herein lies the problem.

There is too much lag time between taking down warnings and closings on TV and notifying group leaders what the school officials decision is.

Officials need to either cut out the TV warnings or they need to make sure the group leaders receive a phone call before the time students normally go to school to inform them one way or another, whether to stay put or go. If they cut out the TV process completely, TV news companies might not like it so much because having them in the loop means they get more viewers in the early morning, but without them in the process, one less middle man, information would get passed to the parents and students with less to worry about. Also, students would most likely get to school earlier because of less confusion.

At the time of this observation, there was no wind and only a trickle of rain. But by the time parents and students received word that school was open, the wind had picked up speed and the rain had begun falling. If students had left at the regular time, they could have gone to school in safer conditions and there would have been much less stress this morning! Who needs extra stress when a typhoon us pushing through?

The Host Families for Foreign Students Communiction Center in Nagata Ward, Kobe, is seeking families to open their homes up to foreign students once or twice a month.

The program aims to remove alienation felt by foreign students in Japan.

Host family introductions will be made on May 31 at the center. The signup deadline is May 11.

For more information call (078) 646-8127.

Anyone interested in joining the free lessons should contact the YMCA in order to get into the class. All participants are required to purchase a textbook.

Call (078) 241-7204 to register.

The internship will be in two terms: August 18th to 29th and January 19th to 30th. Five students will be accepted each term. Interns will work from 9am to 5:30pm at the bureau office near Shinsaibashi subway station promoting tourism in Osaka.

Anyone who wishes to apply for the program must submit an application by June 9th.

To apply, go to the OCTB website for the application form.

The seminar will be held at The Yomiuri Shimbun, in the Kita Ward of Osaka at 1:30pm. 150 people will be selected by lottery and receive admission tickets to the event.

To apply, send a postcard with your name, age, occupation, telephone number and address along with your postal code to:

The Daily Yomiuri TOEIC Seminar Office

Corporate Communications & Public Relations Department

The Yomiuri Shimbun, Osaka 530-8551

Please have your application in by May 16th. Applications are also being accepted through the Internet. Click here to apply online!

For more information, call (06) 6881-7091 Monday – Friday.

Applications are being accepted and placement interviews will be held on April 2 from 7pm.

Reservations are required for interviews.

Call (06) 6773-8989 for more information.