Think the Earth

At the "Nihongo no Kai Crayon (Japanese Language Group - Crayons)" located in the Meguro ward in Tokyo, mothers from Japan and from other parts of the world come together to learn from and to help each other. This organization was started in 2000 by volunteers because there were a very few Japanese language classes that the mothers could take part in with small children.

In 2006, this group started "Japanese Class with Picture books" as a project sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Often times mothers from other countries with young children who have moved to Japan may end up staying indoors a lot due to the language barrier, or may refrain from using their own language in order to adapt to Japanese customs. So the organization has begun unique activities with the hope that "these mothers would cherish their own languages". They not only uses picture books in Japanese as their text books, but they have also asked mothers to translate such books into their own languages, and have begun to introduce the translated works to the regional community at story-telling events.

A story-telling event in 12 languages from countries and regions all over the world - including Iran, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Ethiopia - was held at the international exchange festival in Meguro last month. By proactively participating in the process of translation and presentation, the mothers began to feel more confident about their own cultures and lifestyles. And on the other hand, these activities have given way to increasing interest among the children in their mother's languages.