CLASSES & CAMPS

Summer has arrived, and if you are staying in Japan with the kids, you will be happy to know some 2020 Japan summer programs are running to keep your kids engaged and provide you with a break! Step by step, we are getting back to life post COVID. From ocean …

Join the TELL Lifeline phone counselor training program to challenge yourself and help others. TELL Phone Counselor Training Program with both an online version and new flexible in-classroom schedule held twice a year in the Fall and Spring in both Tokyo & Kansai. Details on how to apply for the …

The Best Living Japan Tokyo Jump-Start Orientation is perfect for you if your family is new to Tokyo. Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything new and need info? Do you want to meet some new friends? If you answered yes to any of the questions, then the Tokyo Jump-Start …

Always one of our most popular course offerings – Japanese cooking classes. Join a Best Living  Japanese cooking lesson to learn traditional Japanese home-style cooking.  You will also learn what is sold at a local supermarket, and how to select and buy the best ingredients for family cooking. After attending a …

Best Living Japan offers weekly Kintsugi Classes in central Tokyo (Minami Azabu). Join one of our Kintsugi classes to learn how to make broken into reborn master pieces. In each class you will learn the basics of kintsugi and how to make simple repairs. You will cherish the piece you …

Join us for a Tokyo Japanese Art & Crafts Class this 2020 Winter/Spring. We are tying up with TanoshiClass to offer Indigo Dyeing, Washi Chabako and Ikkanbari baskets. Learn a new art & craft that you can enjoy as a new skill. All classes are held at the Best Living …

Here are our Top Recommended 2020 Ski / Snowboard Day Trips from Tokyo. Great for families, offers lessons for kids and easily accessible. We will be adding more in the coming weeks. Do you have one to add? Please let us know in the comments section below. * Please check …

Join us to make and take some beautiful washi eggs and basket that you will cherish for years. All classes are at the Best Living Japan Studio in Minami Azabu, Minato-ku. FRI. April 10 9:00-12:00 Washi Egg Class –  A fun and creative way to display the large selections of …

If you love to ski, and you want your kids to be great skiers, then Junior Ski Camp is the best kids weekend ski camp I can recommend. Junior Ski Camp is located in the wonderful ski area of Shiga Kogen in Nagano. My three boys  attended the kids weekend ski …

TELL (Tokyo English Life Line) provides TELL  Exceptional Parenting Program (EPP) workshop series each school year which support global parents on a wide-range of topics. Here is the line-up of parenting seminars for the 2019 – 2020 Tokyo School Year. I highly recommend to attend if you are raising kids …

We have gathered some of the top Tokyo International Schools’ Calendars for Winter 2020 (January to July 2020) in an attempt to help simplify planning. We often hear from other parents and organizers of community events that all the international schools’ schedules being different causes may headaches. Hoping readers find …

GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort is one of the most convenient snow resorts to visit with little ones outside Tokyo. It`s a 75-min shinkansen ride (Max-Tanigawa or the Tanigawa) from Tokyo station and the train drops you off right inside the base of the GALA Yuzawa Resort making it ultra convenient if traveling with small …

Are you a beginner Japanese learner or know someone who is? Well, here is a list of 5 great apps for beginner Japanese learners curated by BestLivingJapan. When I started learning Japanese over 25 years ago, it was paper and pen, and my Sony Walkman with cassette. Now we all …

The Best Living Japan Studio rental is perfect for cooking, crafting or seminars.  We spent a lot of time designing the studio space of our dreams and are delighted to share it. The studio is a fully equipped professional kitchen which can be used as a crafting and seminar space …

Guide to Navigating the Japanese Hoikuen System If you are planning to return to work after taking some time off to bond with your little one, you are more than likely weighting the daycare (保育/ほいく/hoiku) options available in Japan. You’re perhaps also well aware of the daycare shortage the nation …

Best Living Japan is excited to tie-up with Japanese cooking teacher, Ms. Yuki Suzuki, to offer Survival Japanese Home Cooking Classes this autumn.  Classes will begin on Thursday, September 21st and run through December 7th, but don’t worry you don’t need to commit to 10 weeks of classes. We know you are busy so …

Here is a comprehensive and updated (August 2016) list of Tokyo International Pre-schools by area.  There are over 40+ schools on this list so the best way to start your research is by neighbourhood and then review each schools website and social media links to learn a bit about the …

Love the new lego store at Roppongi Hills. They have a pick-a–brick tower where you can fill a cup with the bricks and elements you want in different shapes and colors, a hands-on play table, mini tower where you can mix and match from a wide selection of tops, bottoms, …

The Dominos Pizza Academy course is a fun 1-hour session where kids learn how a pizza is made and how the pizza store works. The best part? They get to take their creation home and eat it! My son and his kindergarten friends spent their first summer holiday at a Dominos Pizza-making course. …

Central Sports Club has a number of great classes where kids can learn and develop new skills such as swimming, dance, phys ed and more. Since its establishment, they have produced over 2 million graduates through their kids` sports classes. They have fully trained instructors, seasonal camps, offer a free shuttle …

If you love DIY and you want to get you or your hands dirty, then you have to visit the creative shop called DIY Factory in Futako-Tamagawa. This store is fascinating they sell DIY products, have DIY workshops, and offer workshop space and tool rental.  As a true blood DIYer, …

My daughter (age six) join the Tokyo International Children’s Choir (TICC) this year, and LOVES it!  If your elementary or middle school child loves singing, I highly recommend you consider joining from September. Auditions are held in late August and early September 2019. Practices will take place weekly on Monday …

Looking for Summer Camp in Japan? Here is a list of 10 camps that offer academic, adventure and sports programs for babies to teens. Here are our recommended 2018 Japan summer camps and programs for little ones to teens. Are you ready for summer camp in Japan? If you have kids …

Have you ever wondered how to make plastic food samples? You can enjoy making food samples the old fashion way with wax at Ganso Sample in Kappabashi, Tokyo (aka Kitchen Town located near Asakusa). Kappabashi is the main restaurant and kitchen supplies neighbourhood in Tokyo with over 150 stores supply …

The ABC Cooking Studio in Futakotamaga offers kids` cooking classes that change monthly (Japanese language). This month they are offering a `Kapibara` curry bread making session till February 28th. Capybaras, which are native to South America, are deemed the biggest rodent on earth. They are gentle herbivores who love to soak in …