Hyogo Prefecture’s first bilingual kindergarten. We’d been curious about what it’s like inside the huge new preschool “Kids Duo International（キッズ デュオ インターナショナル）Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi,” which just opened in April in Nagatacho along the Nakatsuhama Line in Nishinomiya.
So Nishi2’s Shachomi and Kurayan went to take a look.（Kids Duo International is a bit long, so we’ll call it “KDI” from here on.）
It’s a preschool that combines childcare and education, centered on both English and Japanese learning. Unlike an international school, one of its key features is that it also places strong emphasis on education in Japanese, the children’s native language. In Kansai, this is apparently the second location after Kids Duo International Toyonaka, which opened in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture in 2020.
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 5-1 Nagatacho, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
Wait, are we overseas?! That’s the kind of facility it feels like. Still, this preschool is seriously big.
This is what the entrance looks like. It has such a refined atmosphere.
A hallway that seems to go on forever. Apparently, the school grounds are the largest among all KDI locations nationwide.
Oh, here come the children, one after another. A native-speaking teacher is leading them in English.
They went into a room labeled NINJA ROOM.
It was time for physical education. At KDI, this is called Ninja Play, and children learn basic physical movements through a program with 300 different activities. These children are in the youngest preschool class （2-year-olds）.
They’re jumping over a rope that’s being imagined as a snake.
The Nishi2 members joined in with exercises to the music, too. The children’s “Who are those people?” kind of reaction was adorable. By the way, it looks like 2-year-olds are divided into classes based on their birth month.
This peaceful-looking place is the schoolyard. It’s really spacious. And since it has artificial turf, it feels safe too.
Next, let’s check out the classrooms.
Bright and spacious
There’s a large monitor you don’t often see in regular nurseries or kindergartens.
It’s a touch panel! An electronic whiteboard! I see! “What day is it today? What day of the week is it?” The children answer all kinds of questions in English.
For the youngest preschool class (2-year-olds), the restroom was right next to the classroom so toilet training can be done right away.
Blocks and educational toys that everyone loves. The kids were showing amazing concentration while playing.
There’s also a spacious hall on the second floor. The youngest preschoolers were doing Ninja Play here too. They also hold monthly birthday parties in the hall.
The Hankyu Railway runs right next to KDI Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, but the building’s windows use “T-4 sashes,” which provide top-class sound insulation, so we couldn’t hear the trains at all.
There are all sorts of thoughtful touches designed to help keep the children focused.
Even when I looked into the classroom through the hallway window like this, it was designed so that I was hard to see from inside the classroom.
And now, what you might call KDI’s main dish, and personally the thing I was most curious about. I’ll show you.
It’s the “Career Experience Corner”, where children can enjoy realistic pretend play in English.
You’d think this was just pretend cooking, right?
Apparently, they also do actual cooking practice. That sounds fun.
Pretend shopping.
Even KDI’s original money looks realistic. Apparently, the children can receive a salary too.
There’s also a babysitter experience.
Since they can try different jobs while wearing these outfits, it seems like they can naturally learn how society works!
The school buses cover not only Nishinomiya, but also areas around Takarazuka, Itami, Amagasaki, Ashiya, and Kobe. Please contact KDI for details!
They’ve been reading Nishi2 for a long, long time.
