A rocket and a castle: the inquiry behind the work.
Rocket movement and the history of Japanese castles may seem unrelated. In CGK Afterschool miniprojects, a programme for Grades 1–9, both became investigations of how researched ideas could be represented.
A student researching rockets explored energy and escape velocity. In the model, reversing the direction of the current reversed a motor to represent launch and landing. This was a representation of movement, not a model that could travel into space.
A group building a castle investigated Japanese history, architecture, clan crests and culture. Behind the finished work were research and decisions about how to express what they had learned.
Classrooms become haunted houses—and taking the stairs becomes a challenge!
At CGK School Festival 2026 on 24-25 October, Middle School students in Grade 6 and Grades 7/8 are preparing The Haunted 9th Floor. Discover their student-created experiences and join the Step Challenge.
G6 | The Haunted 9th Floor Grade 6 is transforming classrooms and corridors into a spooky walkthrough. Visitors will move through themed areas featuring decorations, student actors, sound effects, lighting and surprises designed to create a fun and frightening festival experience.
G7/8 | The Haunted 9th Floor G7/8 students will create a haunted house in their classrooms and corridor, with themed areas including eyes, spiders, the ocean, jump scares, lightning and trypophobia. The students are designing all the stories, rules and decorations themselves. Visitors can also make their own magnets at the gift shop.
Step Challenge Elevators get crowded during School Festival, so please use the stairs! Climbing up to the 9th floor can be tiring, but make it fun with our Step Challenge! Anyone with a smartphone step counter can join. The person who takes the most steps that day wins a prize!
──────────
教室が、お化け屋敷に。階段移動も、チャレンジに。
10月24日(土)・25日(日)のCGK School Festival 2026では、中等部のG6・G7/8が「The Haunted 9th Floor」を準備中。生徒たちがつくる仕掛けと、会場を歩いて楽しむStep Challengeをご紹介します。
G6 | The Haunted 9th Floor G6が教室や廊下を、不気味なウォークスルー型のお化け屋敷に変身させます。テーマごとに装飾されたエリアを進みながら、生徒たちによる演出や効果音、照明、思いがけない仕掛けを体験できます。楽しくもちょっぴり怖い、スリル満点のフェスティバル体験をお楽しみください！
G7/8 | The Haunted 9th Floor G7・G8の生徒たちが、教室や廊下を使ってお化け屋敷を作ります！目玉やクモ、海、突然驚かせる仕掛け、雷の演出、集合体恐怖症をテーマにしたエリアなど、さまざまな恐怖が待ち受けています。ストーリーやルール、装飾全てを生徒たちで考えたお化け屋敷をお届けします。 出口のギフトショップでは、オリジナルマグネット作りも楽しめます！
Step Challenge School Festivalではエレベーターの混雑緩和のため、階段の利用にご協力ください！9Fまでの階段移動は大変ですが、楽しみながら挑戦できるStep Challengeを開催！スマホの歩数計があれば誰でも参加OK。当日最も歩いた人には賞品をプレゼント！
Details via the link in our profile. / 詳しくはプロフィールのリンクから。
Small creatures, many similarities and differences.
In Ocean Class (2-year-olds), changes in autumn and an interest in small creatures are opening up inquiry: weather, leaves, wind, and differences in creatures` bodies, faces and sizes.
Moving from Who We Are towards How We Express Ourselves, children notice similarities and differences between themselves and other living things. Observations connect with language and ways of expressing ideas.
The class has also explored the idea that other creatures have families and should be treated with care. Small discoveries become opportunities to develop an interest in the living world around us.
Elementary School classes are preparing for CGK School Festival 2026 on 24-25 October. From detective mysteries to space adventures, which booth would you like to try?
G1A | Spooky-Cute Animal World! Try thrilling games with friends and discover surprise prizes.
G1B | Creepy Playhouse Students are creating games, practising turn-taking, compromise, sharing ideas and listening.
G2A | Detective Headquarters Follow clues and hidden evidence to solve the case of the missing animal.
G2B | Halloween Game Centre! Try basketball and taiko drumming, then complete a stamp rally for a prize.
G3A | Water maze race Roll for water, race an opponent through a maze and escape in as few turns as possible.
G3B | Jungle Maze Navigate rainforest vines and animals, solve riddles and claim a prize.
G4 | Game Centre Try a Tom & Jerry ball toss and a game combining bowling with air hockey.
G5 | Space Adventure! Throw planets, try planetary bowling and set off on a space adventure.
──────────
子どもたちがつくる、8つのゲームブース。
10月24日(土)・25日(日)のCGK School Festival 2026に向けて、初等部の各クラスが準備を進めています。探偵の謎解きから宇宙の冒険まで、どのブースに挑戦してみたいですか？
From an image of a country to everyday life at a school.
What is it like to learn overseas? On September 14, CGK welcomed Belmont Intermediate School Principal Nick Hill and International Student Director Lee Rang Lim from New Zealand for a study-abroad information event.
Families heard about the school`s educational approach, everyday life and international-student support, and could ask their questions directly. It was an opportunity to consider the actual school, rather than relying only on an image of the country.
CGK`s individual consultations also consider a child`s age and grade, the length of a stay, interests and goals. There is no single form of study abroad that suits every child.
──────────
国のイメージから、学校の毎日へ。
海外で学ぶことを、現地の先生に直接聞く。9月14日、CGKで開催した留学説明会には、ニュージーランドのBelmont Intermediate Schoolから、校長Nick Hill先生と留学生担当ディレクターLee Rang Lim先生が来校しました。
In Jungle A and B Classes (3-year-olds), learning centres offer children opportunities to choose activities and explore at their own pace. Interests and ways of learning differ from child to child.
On Friday afternoons, the two classes join together. Literacy, numbers, patterns, shapes and writing can be explored without pressure to produce a single right answer. Trying things and making discoveries remain central.
The setting brings together personal choice and time with other children. Both are part of supporting children`s agency.
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.
