Can anyone recommend a gymastics school in Tokyo that will take on young boys?

Free trial classes plus registration for boys and girls:
Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School 15 - 21 October 2002
2-8-1 Sugamo, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
(in Japanese only) http://www.yowakai.org, and http://www.sports-yowakai.org
Information (Japanese only)
03-3917-1664 (coach/teacher)
03-3917-1231 (registration desk at the sports center)
Three blocks from the Yamanote line station. (Most classes spend part of the hour in the Main Building 2nd Floor for mat work and vaulting and then the other part in the New Building 3rd Floor.)

They have different class categories:
AA = maybe 1.5 - 3 year olds
AB = 3 year olds - kindergarten
BC = Kindergarten-grade 3
CD = Grades 1-6
D = Grade 4 and up

The AA and AB classes are all finished by 14:30. The older kids all start at 14:30, 15:30, 16:30 and 17:30. I picked up the brochure from the lobby of the building and I can't read the whole thing, but I'll fax it to anyone who is interested.

Application is 7 Oct - 12 Oct so today is technically the last day (10:30 - 17:30)

There were still empty spaces so even though the deadline was today it might still be able to get a free trial lesson by calling the coach (you'll probably need Japanese speaking ability on hand).

Please be there 10 minutes before your time slot starts. Child should be wearing regular sports clothes (T-shirt and shorts).

After the trial lesson you can decide to join the gymnastics classes. From the date you register, you will start at the beginnning of the following month. The "new kaikin" is Y5000 -- club membership fee. The cost for classes is Y5900 per month for once a week, and Y7500 for twice a week. You can register anytime for gymnastics, but the free lesson promotion is only offered sometimes.

This past week they again offered the free trial gymnastics lesson at the Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School in Sugamo. I meant to post it here, but just didn't get to it soon enough. I have enrolled my daughter for two times a week starting in March. It is a huge success. She loves the class. Yesterday I took the holiday and went and observed. I am pleased with how much she is enjoying it and the methodology for teaching beginning skills. I already see her acquiring new skills after 6 lessons!

The Mitsubishi Yowa Sports Club also has children's aerobics, tennis, soccer and swimming available. I think there's more but I'm still working on figuring it all out myself.

Also I forgot to mention that there is a mandatory purchase of their T-shirt and shorts for the gymnastics class "uniform" (another Y3000). (No, we couldn't use any of the hundreds of shorts and T-shirts in our wardrobe.)

Hello,
Is there any similar sports club for children in Meguro-Ku?
I am specially looking for a soccer club for my 4 year old boy in meguro Ku.
Regards, Sraboni

Dear Sraboni,
There are a couple of pages about soccer clubs at:
http://www.tokyowithkids.com/entertainment/sports/soccerclubsforkids.html
which might be of some help.
In the meantime, you might try calling the sports school in Sugamo and ask if they know of a similar facility in Shinagawa-ku or Meguro-ku.
There website is (in Japanese only) http://www.sports-yowakai.org

Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School at Sugamo is offering trial gymnastics lessons again May 22-24 and 26-28. The deadline for making an appointment for a trial lesson is 20 May.

I have my daughter enrolled for twice a week but a lot of the days fall on holidays, so effectively she only had 6 lessons per month in April and May. However in March and June she will have had 8 lessons. The price is the same whether or not she gets 8 lessons or 6 lessons. Also this past week was considered opening week because a lot of new kids join in May? Anyway, yesterday, instead of doing gymnastics, they did dodgeball. I made a point of asking about it (is there no gymnastics today?), because my daughter gets the dodgeball at the Children's Hall. It's not so cheap that I want to pay for an hour of dodgeball. The explanation (which I think I understood) was meant to assure me that this was a special day/week. So I asked if there will be dodgeball again on Friday, and the answer was that it depends on the teacher.

Is anyone still going to the Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School? I am looking for a gymnastics course for my 5 year old son and I live in Chiyoda-ku. I want something with serious gymnastics, not just a few tumbling tricks and a high price tag. Any recommendations?

Robin

Also look at IGC: http://www.igcjapan.com/
Not sure if this meets your needs, but they've been around for a while and were serious when we went there years ago. The owner, Lance Lee is accessible.
Scott

Yes, my daughter is still there at Mitsubishi Yowa. She loves it, and she can get to it from school by herself. They have beginners and advanced courses. I think you basically start in your age group, and they advance you depending on what you can do and what you learn. So that can be quick or slow. They don't do high pressure. But you can see the advanced kids practicing in the same room upstairs where they take the beginners for bar work and trampoline, so my guess is that it has definite potential for real seriousness! See the photo above of the 'upstairs' room which I posted in March 2003.

Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School at Sugamo is offering trial (free) gymnastics lessons again March 15-21. The deadline for making an appointment for a trial lesson is 5 March. If anyone is interested I can fax them the one page flyer. See my posts above for more details on the school, location, costs, photo, etc.

The teachers are all Japanese and speak in Japanese, however, a lot of the teaching is done through demonstration and guidance, and there are several non-natives attending the classes without to many communication problems, including a couple of sisters coming from the French school, so I think if you have a highly adaptable child, s/he might be OK there.

cornelia-
where exactly is the Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School? also, If the child is young (ie under 2) does Mom stay in class with him?
thanks! Yelena

from Cornelia: The complete information on the school is in the second post from the top in this same discussion thread. I don't know if they start as early as two. Please call them.

Cornelia - Sorry to be so hopeless, but you said it was 3 blocks from the Sugamo JR station. 3 Blocks in which direction? Is it next to any obvious landmarks?
I don't speak any Japanese (yet), so calling is not an option; I'll just go and gesticulate my way through another one.:) thanks again.

RE: Mitsubishi Yowa Sports School at Sugamo. You can see a map (in Japanese) here: http://www.sports-yowakai.org Here's my attempt to change the Japanese on the map to English.



From the Yamanote line Sugamo station you turn right out of the ticket gate and right out of the station, and you will see to the right a Jonathan's (family style restaurant) on the second floor of a building across the station taxi/parking plaza area. (Mita line also stops in Sugamo. Look for the police box and then beyond the police box for the Jonathan's.) Go to the left of the building with the Jonathan's and pass a Seiyu store on the right. Turn left at the "T" intersection where the Seiyu is (on the right side). Walk straight one block. Cross the street. Walk another 10 meters and enter the white painted metal gate in the picture above. The sports center is north of the JR train tracks or "outside" the Yamanote loop (or on the "koban"=police box side).

Also be warned, the office staff at the sports center, depending on who you get, can be incredibly non-intuitive and slow and... I went with a Japanese friend for translation purposes and he was astonished at the lack of practical intelligence. Fortunately the staff teaching the gymnastics are the complete opposite. They are all fully trained athletes with years of experience in their sport, tons of confidence and good communication ability (with the kids).

There seems to be another location with 042-440-3461 as the phone number. But I also can't read the website.

Is there any good gymnastics club around Tokyo/Yokohama area?
We're moving in June and desperately looking for one. Our 10-year-old daughter has been doing gymnastics in competitive level for 5 years and would like to continue in Japan. We've checked both IGC and Mitsubishi Yowa, but they're not really what we're looking for.

Central Sports Meguro
2-26-7 (Chu Something Machi)
Meguro 152-0001
03-3712-2121
This sports club offer kids gymnastics, swimming, dance, English lessons. They are located near the Meguro Ward Office and are one of the few that do offer children's activities within the Yamanote line.

Hi Robin,
Thank you for the info.
I've checked with Central Sports, but the kids gymnastics they offer is more for the biginners, not for the competitive level gymnasts. I wonder where do all the gymnasts practice in Japan other than at school.

Dear Romy, I don't know how far you are willing to travel, but Kishi Taiso school is one of the the national training centres for competitive level gymnastics. About 10 minutes walk from Omotesando station.
PH 3481-2343. All lessons are in Japanese.