Nishimachi International School

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[edit] History

Nishimachi International School (NIS) was established in 1949 by the late Tane Matsukata on the family property in the Azabu area of Tokyo. She had recently returned to Japan after seventeen years in the U.S., where she received her education and spent the war years.

Miss Matsukata found Tokyo still badly scarred from the war although the slow process of rebuilding had begun. It was apparent to her that there was moral rebuilding to be done as well. In discussions with friends, who were themselves mothers, she began to realize the important role that education would play in the process. Together the ladies explored the alternatives and concluded that a new approach to traditional education was needed, one that stressed the human side of learning and had peaceful coexistence among neighbors as an objective.

Accordingly, Miss Matsukata and her friends decided to start their own school, along the lines of the progressive academy Miss Matsukata's mother had established for her and her siblings in the years before the war.

Learning a second language, in this case English, was step one in the educational process. They saw this as fundamental to extending the children's understanding beyond the boundaries of their own culture and into others.

Tane Matsukata and her sister undertook the English part of the curriculum. They hired a teacher for the Japanese portion, and the school that was eventually to become Nishimachi opened its doors to its first four students.

As of the year 2002 Nishimachi has expanded to some 450 students, and the school offers education from the Kindergarten level through the ninth grade. The original Matsukata house that housed the school is still there, now serving primarily as the administration building. It also houses a modest library. The school has purchased property around the original building and constructed two multi-story school buildings and a Basketball gymnasium, which enclose an open play area. All three buildings have additional recreational areas on the roof.

The schools teams are known as the NIS Vikings, and the school offers volleyball, cross country, and boys and girls basketball programs.

There is also an Drama and Music program which is very good. The school offers many extras such as choir,