Leveraging the benefits of being a non-article 1 school, we base our curriculum on the International Baccalaureate (IB) while also incorporating elements from Japan’s course of study and other international curriculum flexibly.
With an April enrollment and the requirement that parents speak either English or Japanese, CGK is an accessible international school for many families.
Building on the foundation established in our preschool, the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) continues into our elementary school. We further deepen inquiry at a higher level using a transdisciplinary approach that transcends traditional subject boundaries.
This type of learning is highly practical and well-suited for young learners as they engage with society and the world around them.
To enhance their inquiry and understanding, we also actively incorporate field trips and other experiential learning opportunities.
In our daily 45-minute Japanese classes, we focus on developing students’ self-expression, critical thinking skills, and a spirit of inquiry in a balanced manner, reflecting our commitment to nurturing lifelong learners who thrive in multiple languages. We believe that supporting a child’s native language and the language of their country of residence is crucial for deepening their cultural identity and promoting cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Accordingly, we place a strong emphasis on Japanese language education (JLL/Japanese Language and Literature) based on the curriculum standards from the MEXT while also dedicating significant resources to Japanese language classes for students learning it as a foreign language (JAL/Japanese as an Acquisition Language).
*All subjects except Japanese are taught in English.
We offer overseas study programs to encourage children to become self-reliant, self-directed and lifelong learners. Our staff will help you make the arrangements after finding out the needs of your child and your family. There are many different options to study abroad, for example, parent-child study abroad, home-stay, and boarding schools. These are very valuable opportunities to put learning to practical use in a new environment, apart from the daily life at CGK, and parents will be touched to see how much their children grow.
CGK strongly recommends studying abroad at a young age, as it provides an opportunity to experience an unknown world and gain exposure to diverse values and ways of thinking, which in turn, leads to growth.
Also, CGK is a welcoming place for international students from abroad with a view to encouraging multicultural cooperation.
We offer After Care (until 4pm), Club Activities (until 4:30pm), and Afterschool (until 7pm).
Students can participate in a wide range of activities, from cultural and athletic pursuits to relaxation time and in-depth exploration of various subjects.
2-25-2 Minaminakadori, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa (Greater Tokyo) 231-0006, Japan
Capacity
Approx. 20 per class
Class Hours
Grade 1-2: 25 hrs per week, Grades 3-5: 29 hrs per week
Vacations
Spring Break (approx. 3 weeks), Golden Week (approx. 1 week), Summer Vacation (approx. 6 weeks), Winter Vacation (approx. 2 weeks)
Kannai Campus Layout
Access
4-minute walk from Bashamichi Station (馬車道駅) on the Minatomirai Line (directly to/from the Tōyoko Line and Fukutoshin Line)
5-minute walk from Nihon-ōdōri Station (日本大通り駅) on the Minatomirai Line (directly to/from the Tōyoko Line and Fukutoshin Line)
5-minute walk from Kannai Station (関内駅) on the Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line
7-minute walk from Kannai Station (関内駅) on the JR Keihin-Tōhoku Line
Bus transportation is provided in the morning only. We have three school buses, and the following routes are subject to change. Please note that although students in the lower elementary grades are eligible, priority will be given to younger children from age 2 and up.
"Taxi Service for Childcare" may also be available. For more information, please refer to Afterschool "Taxi Service for Childcare".
What kind of home can you design within a limited space? In the Elementary and Middle School tiny-house project, students used measurement, area and spatial reasoning while developing floor plans.
Choosing rooms and features was only part of the task. Would the dimensions work? Would the plan fit the space? Students checked, reconsidered and improved their designs.
The challenge called for both creative ideas and mathematical accuracy. Calculation became a tool for thinking about real architecture and design, rather than an activity confined to a worksheet.
See what learning in English after school looks like through a visit to a real lesson. CGK Afterschool welcomes students in Grades 1–9. Our programme centres on project-based learning and inquiry.
During an individual Open School visit, you can observe a lesson and learn more about the school. Children are welcome to join you.
Weekdays, 5:00–6:00 pm CGK International School, Kannai Campus, Yokohama Japanese and English / Online sessions available Other times can be arranged.
Details and registration: visit the link in our bio.
Discover preschool dance, elementary and middle school stage performances, and G7/8’s music-themed class booth. Students are preparing to share their music and creativity with you.
October 24 only: Preschool Dance and the CGK Idols Elementary Dance Club. Preschool Dance: Our dancers are ready to shine! Mountain/Sky perform “Swim & Shine,” while Jungle brings the energy with “Burning Love” from Stitch. Get ready to dance along!
G1A / G1B: “Do Re Mi” & another joyful song G2A: “It’s a Small World” & “Octopus’s Garden” G2B: “It’s a Small World” & “Sing” G3A / G3B: “I Can See Clearly Now” G4: “Best Day of My Life” (two-part song) G5: “Ode to Joy” (recorders) G6: “All Star” & original “Nature Song” G7/8: An eerie recorded soundscape *G7/8 students will present at their class booth, not on the 5F stage.
October 24 (Sat) & 25 (Sun), 10:00–14:30 CGK Kannai Campus Free admission. No advance booking required.
Raffle prizes, Kanji art and new dance performances!
At CGK School Festival, choose a prize and drop your tickets into its box. Explore 22 prize selections, from dining vouchers and family experiences to a one-night stay at MAGMA RESORT Shimobe Onsen. Thank you to all our sponsors and CGK teachers!
Tickets are sold on-site on the 5th floor: ¥300 each (tax included). CGK official LINE friends can buy 5 for ¥1,000 (tax included); please show your LINE screen. General visitors have no advance sales or bonus tickets. Proceeds support CGK education and students’ learning.
October 25 only: JAPOW’s Create Your Own Kanji Art workshop. October 24 only: Preschool Dance and the CGK Idols Elementary Dance Club.
October 24 (Sat) & 25 (Sun), 10:00–14:30 CGK Kannai Campus Free admission. No advance booking required.
See the festival details via the link in our profile.
Clothing, instruments and ways of life: meeting differences and connections.
Mountain A and B Classes (4-year-olds) visited Earth Plaza. Clothing, musical instruments and displays offered opportunities to explore similarities and differences in ways of life.
The visit connected with How We Organize Ourselves and Who We Are. Ideas explored in class—rules, routines, cooperation and caring—could be considered within a wider community.
Noticing differences and considering how everyone can have a place both matter. As the classes move towards Sharing the Planet, the inquiry reaches beyond animals to include people and the communities we share.
An interest in satellites became a model that lights up.
How do satellites move, generate electricity and use it? One student chose satellites for a miniproject in CGK Afterschool, a programme for Grades 1–9.
The research became a working model: a real solar panel powered LEDs. The student also explored orientation through a solar-powered gyroscope using a motor and a rotating disc.
Alongside longer PBL projects, miniprojects let students choose what to investigate, how to investigate it and how to present their findings. Opportunities to share their work connect an initial interest with research, making and explanation.
If you could create a country, what would it be like?
Sky Class (5-year-olds) held an Expo of countries the children had created themselves. Their dioramas brought together decisions about geography, animals, food, culture, flags, clothing and exports.
Through Where We Are in Place and Time, the class explored places, history, migration and ways of life. Creating a country gave children a way to connect those ideas and make their own choices.
Children from other classes visited the Expo. The creators explained their models, answered questions and encountered different interpretations. The inquiry did not end when the diorama was finished: communicating an idea to someone else was part of the learning too.
Elementary & Middle School Open School | October 9
ENGLISH-ONLY SESSION
What does inquiry look like in everyday school life?
At our weekday Open School, families can learn about CGK’s programmes and school life, and ask questions about admissions. CGK is an IB PYP-authorized school, and our Middle School is an MYP candidate school.
This October 9 session will be held in English only.
■ Friday, October 9, 2026 | 9:00–11:00 am ■ CGK International School, Kannai Campus, Yokohama ■ Elementary School: Grades 1–5 ■ Middle School: Grades 6–9
Please bring indoor shoes or slippers. Details and registration: visit Website in our profile, then Admissions.
From Tsugaru shamisen and vocals to dance, magic and rock ’n’ roll, there’s plenty to enjoy together.
TAKEZO MUSIC GYM | Oct 25 Led by four-time national champion Musashi Kudo, TAKEZO MUSIC GYM brings the powerful sound of Tsugaru shamisen to audiences in Japan and abroad. Enjoy the live performance at the festival.
TEPPEI | Oct 25 A fitness instructor teaching ZUMBA across Japan. TEPPEI will join CGK staff for an energetic dance performance to bring the festival to life!
The Yokohama Sisters | Oct 24 A Yokohama-born female vocal group singing for world peace. Enjoy popular songs, a Yokohama medley, and national anthems from around the world.
OOSH × Mister Gavin | Oct 25 English, balloons and magic with Mister Gavin! A fun, creative and interactive English show for children and adults alike.
Mamonaku and friends | Oct 24 Yokohama-based four-piece rock ’n’ roll band Mamonaku will perform originals and covers, with special guests joining them for a festival stage!
October 24 (Sat) & 25 (Sun) · 10:00–14:30 CGK Kannai Campus · Free admission · No advance entry booking Everyone is welcome! Performer dates vary.
At our September 27 workshop with Mr. Jun, who is transgender and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, children chose materials, followed their own ideas and found inspiration in one another`s artwork. Some discovered a new direction only after they had begun. Each approach offered a glimpse of that child`s individuality.
Alongside the workshop, parents explored LGBTQ+, family diversity and how to support a child who shares questions about their gender or sexuality.
One reflection to take into everyday conversation: we do not have to find an answer immediately. Listening, saying “Thank you for telling me,” and thinking together when needed can help children feel safe to talk.
The photos show creating and listening: two ways of making room for each person to be themselves.
“It feels like autumn.” What colours, sounds or sensations are held in that small observation? Finding words for a season is not only about using vocabulary we already know. It is also a way of discovering what we have noticed.
In Japanese language learning at CGK Elementary School (Grades 1-5), students explore seasonal words and changes in nature through haiku and free verse. The aim is not simply to produce a polished poem straight away. The process of searching for words that fit an observation or feeling, and choosing how to express it, matters too.
Imagine looking at a leaf and calling it beautiful. Rather than stopping there, look a little longer. Which colours overlap? What changes when light passes through it? What sound do leaves make underfoot? More specific observations give us more possibilities for expression.
Two children may notice different things in the same scene. One might focus on colour; another on sound or texture. Instead of offering the “right” description first, an adult can ask, “What did you notice that made you feel that way?” and listen to the child`s perspective.
At home, this could be as simple as choosing one interesting thing during a walk and looking for words to describe it. There is no need to turn it into a formal haiku. A short sentence is enough.
Expression becomes interesting where a growing vocabulary meets a child`s own way of seeing. Both deserve room to develop.
At CGK Elementary School, mathematics and Japanese language are taught through Units of Inquiry (UOI) wherever possible. When lessons focused on particular skills are more appropriate, subject content is also taught separately.
To explore a question in depth, children need to read for meaning, work with numbers and quantities, and put their thinking into words. Using those skills to investigate a question also helps them see why the skills matter. Foundations support inquiry; inquiry gives those foundations a purpose.
At CGK Elementary School (Grades 1-5), we connect subjects where meaningful while making time to develop individual skills carefully.
Consider a comparison. A child might initially feel that one quantity is greater than another. Using numbers or measurements to check that impression, then explaining the evidence, makes the comparison more precise. This is one example of mathematics and language becoming tools for thinking.
Leaving room for children to think does not mean withholding the knowledge or methods they need. There is a place for demonstrating a method, a place for practising it, and a place for children to decide how to apply it. Each has a role in supporting inquiry.
We do not have to choose between independent thinking and strong foundations. What matters is helping children move between the two.
@element_earth04 (Oct 24 & 25): Make your own moss terrarium.
@hanahanahandmade73 (Oct 25): Sticker workshop and handmade items.
Heal the Future (Oct 24): Plant-based ingredients and natural supplements, from Kamakura.
October 24 (Sat) & 25 (Sun), 2026 | 10:00–14:30 CGK Kannai Campus, Yokohama Open to the public. Free admission; no advance booking for entry. Some activities are paid. Exhibitor dates vary. More details via the link in our profile.
スポーツに、小さな世界づくりに、ハンドメイド。CGK School Festival 2026の出展者を、今回も5組ご紹介します！
TD Flag Football (10/24・25): 参加賞もあるフットボールの的当て。
横浜エクセレンス (10/24): バスケットボールのシュート体験。
Element Earth (10/24・25): 自分だけの苔テラリウムづくり。
はなはなハンドメイド (10/25): 切手風シールづくりとハンドメイド品。
Heal the Future (10/24): 植物由来原料・自然派サプリメントを扱う鎌倉の企業。
A little water on a hand. A small step into something new. 💧
Ocean Class (2-year-olds) tried its first water play at the end of July, as featured in August`s CGK Times.
Some children began cautiously, pouring small amounts from cups onto hands and feet. As they grew more comfortable, they explored spray bottles, water guns and toys that floated or sank.
Popular water guns also brought a social challenge: there were not enough for everyone at once. Children asked to use them, waited and passed them on. Sometimes waiting was frustrating too.
The story holds both enjoyment and difficulty. Exploring something new includes learning about our own feelings and those of our friends.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
手に少し、水をかけてみる。新しい遊びへの、小さな一歩。💧
CGK Times 8月号では、Oceanクラス(2歳児)が7月末に初めて楽しんだ水遊びを紹介しています。
The machine was finished. The explanation mattered too.
At the end of CGK Afterschool`s two-day hydraulic and pneumatic machine project, teams demonstrated their creations and explained their choices and difficulties.
One team`s challenge was improving how well its machine could lift. In its presentation, the team described overcoming that obstacle through communication, teamwork and repeated testing—and by not giving up.
A working model shows one outcome. Explaining the changes and challenges reveals more of the learning behind it.
The project was part of Summer School, featured in August`s CGK Times. CGK Afterschool programme: Grades 1–9.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
Show & Tell does not end when the speaker finishes.
In Mountain B Class (4-year-olds), children regularly share something meaningful to them: a favourite object, an interest or a personal experience.
Then it is their friends` turn—not simply to wait, but to listen, decide what they want to know and put a question into words.
Teachers have noticed children becoming more comfortable sharing their ideas with the group. The repeated opportunities matter: speaking, listening and asking are all part of participating in a classroom community.
One object can open many conversations.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
