🍎Newsletter #7: Weekend Japanese Schools in Manhattan and Very Small Fish!

The Big Ringo Mama in NY

05 Oct 2024 — 6 min read

Japanese comfort food at its best. Look what this little fish can do! (and of course, raw egg, which you can only confidently eat in Japan)(Source: Katsuyo Recipe)

Dear readers!

Fall days are so beautiful in NYC - they are finally here and am smiling. I used to think Japan’s fall was the most beautiful, but I think now I’ve been proven wrong - NY’s fall days have been unexpectedly so calming, especially at the end of the day when things get much quieter.

Kids seem to be settling into their new routine - weekends go by so much faster these days because of Saturday Japanese school! I cherish our new weekly routine of getting ice cream after her Japanese school is over. New routines, indeed.

Let’s Talk About… Saturday Japanese Schools in Manhattan

I am not 100% if this is an exhaustive list (online search can be very finicky) - please let me know if I am missing any so I can add to this list and maintain / update as needed! I hope to expand on this list to include other boroughs as well in the future. Given every parent/child has a different need and what they want out of Japanese Schools, I am going to refrain from adding any of my personal comments, for now. Happy to answer any questions privately and offer any of our personal experiences.

⭐️STARCHILD (EAST VILLAGE) https://starchildny.com/

Nestled in the East Village, it’s been in the neighborhood for the past ~10 years and offers weekday classes as well as after-school / weekend classes for kids as little as 6 months old. Field trips are frequent (lakes, farms!), and offers to/from bus service for a fee.

⭐️LYCEUM KENNEDY JAPANESE SCHOOL (MIDTOWN) https://jp.lyceumkennedy.org/

Located near the UN building in Midtown, Lyceum Kennedy offers weekday classes and weekend classes - it even has its own library of Japanese books that kids can check out! They share the same building as the Lyceum Kennedy French School.

⭐️IKUEI / FRIENDS ACADEMY (UPPER WEST SIDE / EAST VILLAGE) https://japaneseschool.org/manhattan/

Another long-standing institution with two locations in Manhattan, and additional locations outside NY as well. Buses are also available to its NJ location from Manhattan.

⭐️TENRI (GREENWICH VILLAGE) https://tenri.org/school/children.shtml

Conveniently located off of the F, M, and L subway lines on 6th ave / 13th street, Tenri offers Japanese language classes for both kids and adults. One perk - Dainobu is just around the corner for snacks and all sorts of great Japanese food for your weekend haul.

⭐️ALTO JAPANESE SCHOOL (MIDTOWN) https://alto-edu.com/khlwhhpihgg

Let's Talk About...BENTO STUFF.

Ever since my daughter started going to a local pre-K, I have to be honest - it’s been rough. She prefers to eat school supplied snacks rather than my bento. Lunchtime is so short, and apparently “other kids make me laugh and I don't have time to eat!” (this is how she explained to us the first week when her bento box came home nearly full). While my daughter is turning into a social butterfly that I never thought she would be, over here, I am trying to strategize about what to do with her bento lunch!

Well, I actually DO NOT YET have a solution to this problem - her choosing friends over bento… but I do have an easy, healthy “furikake” option for you all! It’s ちりめんじゃこ (Chirimenjyako / dried baby sardines)! It is packed with protein, nutrients and vitamins - and SO EASY. All I do is take out the package from the freezer and mix in with warm rice. It adds a very “ocean-like” flavor to regular rice, and my kids absolutely love them as snacks too! I get these little packs when they are on sale at Dainobu - buy them frozen and keep them in the freezer, until eternity (that’s what freezers are for!). Great addition to any egg dish for more protein and calcium, and even great to add to any pasta dish!

As a side note - when I was still an ESL student in Los Angeles, one of my friends leaned over and said “GROSS! EW!” when she found these little fishes in my rice. She thought that these little sardines with eyes (and visible bones, translucent skin) were just so “scary.” I guess, if I had never seen these tiny fishes, I might have had the same reaction. So the point of the story is - introduce these tiny sardines to your kiddos when you can!

EVENTS + ACTIVITIES I’m CURIOUS ABOUT

This is where I share activities and events around NYC that are related to Japan and are family-friendly.

[NEWLY ADDED] events indicated events that I added since the last newsletter!

[NEWLY ADDED] Fun Fest Japan Oct 6th @ Corlears Hook Park
- Looks like a fun outing for the whole family this coming Sunday afternoon with music and crafts, in lower Manhattan.
- From the website: “Presented by The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York (JFDINY), FUN FEST JAPAN celebrates Japan and NYC with an all day Japanese cultural festival, featuring traditional performing arts and fun cultural activities for the whole family! Enjoy performances by JFDINY’s own Minbuza (Japanese Folk Dance), Samurai Sword Soul (Traditional Sword Fighting), and Taiko Masala (Taiko Drumming). While in our activities area, experienced teachers will lead children in a variety of fun Japanese arts and crafts such as origami, calligraphy, kendama, and kimono dressing.”
[NEWLY ADDED] Japan Tasting Selection 2024 - Oct 12-13 @ Japan Village (Industry City)
- While I am disappointed that this event is 21+ up, it’s understandable given they are going to offer sake tastings… Perhaps you can take home freshly made mochi to your little ones as they will have a mochi pounding demonstration on site! Tickets required.
- From the website: “Be one of 1000 attendees at this premium sake and food pairing event. Try sake from a variety of small, craft, family-owned sake breweries from throughout Japan. And enjoy it paired with yakitori (Japanese style chicken skewers) and hand-rolled sushi. Check out the photo spot and see how you look in a traditional Japanese samurai hat and kimono. And experience how mochi (Japanese rice cake) was made the old-fashioned way – pounding by hand”
Family Storytime in Japanese - Oct 20th @ SNFL
- Held every third Sunday, this is a great way to meet other parents interested in Japanese culture and for kids to listen to Japanese reading, participate in songs and on your way out, check out Japanese books that are abundant at SNFL.
- Make sure to register with the library, starting Oct 15th!
Shichigosan: Celebrating the Health of Children Sat. & Sun., Oct. 19 & 20 @ Japan Society
- Shichigosan in NYC? Yes, it’s possible! Check out this cool event at the Japan Society where kids can participate in the annual Shichigosan ceremony
- From the website: “Celebrate the growth and good health of children ages 3, 5 and 7 through the Shinto ritual of Shichigosan (“seven-five-three” in Japanese). Three- and 5-year-old boys and 3- and 7-year-old girls of all nationalities and religions, with accompanying adults, are invited to participate in this traditional celebration. Co-sponsored with the International Shinto Foundation”
Shinnai Meets Puppetry: One Night in Winter & The Peony Lantern, November 7-9, 2024 @ Japan Society
- Recommended for kids 8 and up, this show
- From the website: “Following her highly popular run of SHEEP #1 at Japan Society in 2021, NYC-based artist Sachiyo Takahashi/Nekaa Lab presents two whimsical and spooky tales: a heart-warming-then-wrenching fable on the friendship between a shapeshifting tanuki trickster and a lonely old man; and a classical Japanese ghost story to chill you to the bone. These stories were set by shinnai-bushi Grand Master Okamoto Bunya (1895-1996) to rustic, lyrical storytelling music with shamisen accompaniment. Takahashi, who has practiced shinnai-bushi under the authorized stage name of Okamoto Miya, performs this expressive music while her collaborators Rowan Magee and Emma Wiseman animate these fantastical stories with original puppets and new puppetry techniques, sure to enchant children and adults alike. (Recommended Age 8+)”
Japan Fes - various dates and locations https://www.japanfes.com/2024
- I’ve attended a few of these in the past and they are so much fun, reminding me of Matsuri in Japan - delicious food, great energy, even in the colder days!
- There are various days throughout the summer in different parts of the city: East Village (Oct 5, Nov 7), Chelsea (Oct 6), and UWS (Oct 13, 27) / UES, to name a few!

That’s it for this week! I was surprised to find additional events in October that looked great for families, so I hope you find time to check them out. See you in another 2 weeks.

Warmly,