Latest news with #BunkyoWard
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Japan Times
Chinese parents are fueling Tokyo's education race
An increasing number of elite Chinese are fleeing their deteriorating home country in pursuit of a better life abroad. Some find better educational opportunities for their kids in Japan, where entrance exams are much looser as local birth numbers are in steep decline. International schools in Tokyo are already witnessing an influx of children from the newly arrived, highly involved Chinese households. Chinese students are also more visible in cram schools, eyeing competitive junior high school entrance exams. Yet another notable trend is that Chinese families are clustering in Bunkyo Ward, a district renowned for the finest educational environment. The northern Tokyo ward has long been regarded as a hub for scholars and intellectuals. Historically, the area was home to sprawling samurai estates during the Edo Period (1603 to 1868), many of which were later converted into educational institutions in the wake of the Meiji Restoration. Bunkyo Ward was officially established in 1947 through the merger of two adjacent wards, and its name literally means 'education and culture.' According to Bun Kaito, head of sales at Future Leading, a real estate firm catering to Chinese clientele, Bunkyo's appeal is obvious. 'It's home to the University of Tokyo. The ward is also renowned for safety, often ranked as the safest in statistics. Plus, it's conveniently close to attractions like Korakuen amusement park and offers a high-quality living environment.' Within the Chinese community, four public elementary schools in Bunkyo — Seishi, Sendagi, Showa, and Kubomachi — have earned iconic status. Collectively referred to as '3S1K' based on their initials, these schools boast long histories and impressive academic track records, drawing fervent interest from Chinese parents. In China, disparities in public school quality are acutely felt, and moving to a neighborhood with top schools is not uncommon. Such properties are known as xuequfang, or 'school district homes.' For instance, aspiring to enroll children in top-notch universities like Peking or Tsinghua often starts with placing them in elite middle schools in Beijing's Haidian District. According to "Getting Ashore," a bestseller written by Amber Jiang, Haidian District accounts for over 50% of all admissions to Tsinghua and Peking Universities in Beijing, and the six leading public middle schools alone account for over 90% of the district's admissions to those universities in recent years. This 'school district homes' mindset has led to a sharp rise in Chinese families relocating to Bunkyo. A student roster from one 3S1K school viewed by the author revealed a noticeable increase over the past year in students with Chinese citizenship or heritage, many bearing surnames like Wang, Hu, or Zhang. Chinese students now comprise over 10% of the student body, and the actual number may be higher considering those using Japanese surnames. Showa Elementary School in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward | Alex K.T. Martin A representative from the Bunkyo Ward Board of Education confirmed the upward trend. The number of foreign students in public elementary schools rose from 389 in 2023 to 467 in 2024. Still, they account for a mere 4% of the total student cohort. This data hints at a disproportionate concentration of Chinese students at the 3S1K schools. Hu, a Chinese mother who moved to Japan in 2018, relocated to Bunkyo in 2023 after consulting with her husband. The goal was to enroll their daughter in one of the 3S1K schools, a move inspired by her husband's discovery of these schools on Douyin, China's domestic version of TikTok. The couple hopes their daughter will eventually attend a Japanese national university, an elite institution such as Tsinghua back home, or a U.S. university. With junior high school entrance exams in mind, they are now preparing to place her in SAPIX, Tokyo's premier cram school network. 'There's a 70-square-meter apartment nearby that recently sold for ￥190 million ($1.29 million). Rumor has it a Chinese buyer snapped it up,' she explained. Following her daughter's enrollment, however, Hu realized the actual curriculum wasn't drastically different from that of other public schools. She suspects that some Chinese-run real estate agents may be inflating the appeal of the Bunkyo brand. Another Chinese mother who recently moved to Japan — specifically to one of the 3S1K school districts — said she is now considering moving to another area of Tokyo after noticing her children speaking Chinese with newly transferred students from China, despite her original expectation that they would quickly improve their Japanese skills. 'In my apartment building, the number of Chinese families has more than tripled in just one year,' she explained, making her feel that the super-competitive atmosphere she had tried to escape is now being recreated here. Still, statistics confirm Bunkyo's growing popularity among Chinese citizens. According to Tokyo Metropolitan Government data, the number of Chinese residents in Bunkyo grew by roughly 3,000 from January 2022 to January 2024 — an astonishing 60% surge. On Chinese Instagram-like social media RedNote, one can browse countless posts explaining the 3S1K. One reads, 'Bunkyo residents are the most education-conscious in all of Tokyo,' while another claims, 'The average progression rate to private or national junior high schools is 7% nationally and 25% in Tokyo, but 50% in Bunkyo.' Other posts detail the 140-year history of one of the 3S1K schools, often alongside real estate listings targeting Chinese buyers. One post even said: 'Some parents are selling large homes to move into tiny, old houses in Bunkyo just so their children can attend these schools — even if it means lowering their standard of living,' citing a Chinese old saying that philosopher Mencius' mother moved three times to ensure a proper educational environment. The flock of Chinese newcomers has started to strain Bunkyo's housing market. A Chinese couple who arrived in Japan in 2023 hoped their daughter could attend a public school in Bunkyo. However, outside the 3S1K areas, the only available property was a 75-square-meter unit renting for ¥350,000, which they found unaffordable. Xu, a Chinese father in his 30s living in a major city in China, is preparing to immigrate to Japan shortly. The tipping point was the worsening state of education in his motherland. Sendagi Elementary School in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward | Alex K.T. Martin 'In 2023, I participated in a reunion at my old high school and realized that club activities now start only in senior year. Parents had pressured the school, saying academic performance was slipping. Kids today study from 7 a.m. to midnight, and student suicides are sadly common. I don't want my daughter to experience that, so we've decided to move to Japan.' University entrance in China has grown fiercely competitive in recent years. The buzzword juan, or involution, has gained popularity. With weak social safety nets, Chinese families do not hesitate to pour resources into education, and this ever-intensifying fervor is now spilling into Japan. Like many compatriots, Xu originally searched for housing in Bunkyo but noticed it was too costly. After more detailed investigation, he finally chose to land in Urawa Ward in the city of Saitama, another area known for educational advantage. He narrowed down the options based on the academic level of a nearby elementary school and eventually purchased a ￥20 million ($133,000) apartment unit. Among Chinese real estate agents in Tokyo, Urawa has earned the nickname 'Little Bunkyo.' 'Urawa has so many cram schools — it's like the Ginza of tutoring,' Xu explained. Already popular among Japanese families, Urawa is now seeing sharp land price increases. Furthermore, in the Chinese real estate agent circle, the nearby city of Shiki, also famous for educational achievement, is now being dubbed 'Little Urawa.' The relentless drive for academic excellence continues to push Chinese families toward Bunkyo and similar schooling districts. Junior high school entrance exam rates are hitting record highs in greater Tokyo. Still, Japanese parents tend to believe it's a domestic rivalry among Japanese students. This perception may soon change, as elite public schools become launchpads for Chinese families intent on academic conquest. 'We're planning for junior high entrance exams,' Xu said. 'We're eyeing schools like Eikoh Junior High.' Eikoh is one of the toughest private junior highs in Saitama and among the most competitive in the country. 'Chinese urban schools already lead the world in subjects like math and English, so I'm not worried. Once in Japan, we'll focus on improving her Japanese,' Xu added. 'For many Chinese families, even Eikoh is just a safety net school.' Takehiro Masutomo is the author of "Run Ri," a book on China's new immigrants in Japan.
Japan Times
12-05-2025
- Japan Times
More details emerge about stabbing near Tokyo University metro station
A 43-year-old man accused of stabbing a University of Tokyo student at Todaimae Station last week told police he was partly motivated by financial struggles and a desire to make a statement about what he saw as educational abuse. The suspect, Yoshitaka Toda, who has been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of attempted murder, said that he chose to attack the 20-year-old victim at the train station in central Tokyo because he thought that if he committed the crime at a train station and stopped the trains 'it would cause a big impact to society.' This was in addition to his earlier admission that he chose the location of the crime — at the station associated with Japan's top university — to provoke thoughts about educational abuse. Todaimae, located in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, is home to the University of Tokyo's Hongo campus. Toda said that he grew up under intense academic pressure from overbearing parents, leading to mental health issues and truancy in junior high school. He claimed he committed the crime to show how such pressure could push a child off course. He also told investigators he was struggling financially in adulthood. Although he described himself as 'technically self-employed,' his bank records showed no stable source of income. While living in Tokyo's Nakano Ward, the suspect bought an akiya, or abandoned house, in Nagano Prefecture in 2022 through an akiya matching service, and had been living there alone ever since. The suspect came to Tokyo from his home in Nagano on May 7 and, after spending some time in Shinjuku, visited the University of Tokyo where he explored the campus and had a meal in the cafeteria. He stayed on the premises for around an hour and 20 minutes before entering Todaimae station at 6:25 p.m. Less than 30 minutes later, he slashed the University of Tokyo student on the back with a kitchen knife as the student was boarding a train, then chased him into the carriage and stabbed him two more times. The third-year student sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He told police that he has no prior connection with the attacker. Translated by The Japan Times
Japan Times
09-05-2025
- Japan Times
Suspect in Tokyo Metro stabbing chose station to highlight ‘educational abuse'
A 43-year-old man accused of stabbing a University of Tokyo student at Todaimae Station in central Tokyo earlier this week has told investigators he chose the location because it would 'evoke thoughts of educational abuse,' police sources said Friday. The suspect, Yoshitaka Toda, was sent to prosecutors the same day on suspicion of attempted murder and violating a weapons possession law. According to police, Toda admitted to the attack and claimed he wanted to make a statement about the pressures of overbearing parenting. 'I suffered from educational abuse by my parents,' Toda reportedly said. 'I chose Todaimae Station because it would make people associate the attack with that kind of pressure. I wanted to show that excessive expectations can drive a child to go astray.' Toda added that he struggled with mental health issues stemming from his upbringing, saying he became truant in junior high school due to his parents' expectations for him to excel academically. The suspect claimed he wanted to demonstrate the dangers of such parenting by targeting a location associated with Japan's top university. 'I wanted to show parents that if you push too hard for your child to go to the University of Tokyo, your child could end up like me — committing a crime,' he was quoted as saying. Todaimae Station is about a minute's walk from the University of Tokyo's Hongo campus in the capital's Bunkyo Ward, home to its iconic Yasuda Auditorium and several academic departments. The victim, a 20-year-old third-year male student, sustained non-life-threatening injuries after being slashed with a kitchen knife on the platform of the station, through which Tokyo Metro's Namboku Line runs, at around 6:53 p.m. on Wednesday. He told police he did not know the attacker, and no prior connection between the two has been found. Investigators believe Toda traveled from his home in Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo on the day of the incident. A credit card receipt in his possession showed he had purchased a train ticket from Akashina Station in Nagano on the Shinonoi Line to Takao Station in western Tokyo, an interchange that connects to the Chuo Line. Surveillance footage reviewed by police shows Toda wandering near the crime scene for approximately two hours before the attack. From around 4 p.m., he was seen stopping at a supermarket and convenience stores near Todaimae Station, buying drinks and loitering in the area. He entered the station at 6:25 p.m. and carried out the attack less than 30 minutes later. Translated by The Japan Times
Japan Times
07-05-2025
- Japan Times
Man held after two injured in Tokyo Metro knife attack
A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in Tokyo on Wednesday after an alleged knife attack on a subway train, leaving two people injured. The incident, which was reported at about 6:50 p.m., occurred at Todaimae Station on Tokyo Metro's Namboku Line in Bunkyo Ward, according to the police. The line was suspended in both directions after the attack. According to investigative sources, the incident occurred on a stationary train at the station, when a man brandished what appeared to be a kitchen knife and stabbed two men. A man in his 20s was hospitalized with a cut to his head, while a man in his 30s, believed to be a foreign national, suffered injuries to his hand. Both were said to be conscious. Other passengers subdued the man and took the knife, according to the police. Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, which has a low murder rate and some of the world's toughest gun laws. But there are occasional stabbings and even shootings, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. A 24-year-old man allegedly stabbed a passenger and started a fire on a train in Tokyo on Halloween in 2021 while wearing an outfit resembling comic book villain the Joker. The assailant reportedly said he had used a stabbing attack on a commuter train in Tokyo that same year as a reference. Nine people were wounded, one of them seriously, in that previous attack. Japan remains shaken by the memory of a major subway attack in 1995, when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on trains, killing 14 people.
