English

School General Information

Mr. Tadashi Kaneko was born the oldest son of a prestigious Japanese family in 1915. His family was the community representative at the local shrine and Buddhist temple for several generations. From childhood, Tadashi was very religious, always searching for truth.

As a young man, Kaneko served in the Japanese army and during that time was married. He married a girl from a strong Christian background and soon began to take an interest in her faith. After studying the Bible, he came to accept Jesus Christ, renounced his Japanese gods and his position at the community shrine and temple and began to live life according to Christian principles.

After the war, at 31 years old, Kaneko’s new job was to re-establish two all-girls’ school lost during the war. One of the schools had been headed by a Japanese nobleman and founded on the principles of the Shinto religion. The other school, originally Buddhist, had been founded by a noble couple in the Meji Era (1868-1911). By the end of the war not only were they elderly and in poor health, but they had also lost their own home during the bombings of World War II.

It was hard for Kaneko to combine the two schools, but within 5 years he managed to rebuild the schools into one Christian school. Since the founding of the school on September　13, 1947, he has dedicated his life to an educational philosophy based on the Bible, “Love and Sincerity.” He required that the students are taught Christian ethics regarding character by establishing a sister school agreement with an American high school and by recruiting Christian teachers from America to come and teach English at Yokohama Jogakuin. Mr. Kaneko passed away in the year 2000. He is succeeded by his son, Yutaka Kaneko who is now the Chairman of the School Board and the Superintendent. Presently, Yokohama Jogakuin has about 1,000 students and just over 100 faculty members. The school also has a Kindergarten Program.

Yokohama Jogakuin 2008-2009 Schedule

Meet the English Conversation Teachers

Education Institute: Bethany Bible College, Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada
Major: BA in Religion and Christian School Education Minor: Global Misintries
I am from North Carolina. I have been teaching at Yokohama Jogakuin since August of 2006. Many people ask me why I came to Japan and my answer is simply - God. I grew up in a wonderful Christian home, with amazing Christian parents and siblings. When I went to Bible College, God began working on my heart about teaching overseas, yet the door didn’t open for me until nine years later. I had taught for seven years and I was attending an annual teacher’s conference. Every year, I went to a seminar about teaching overseas. At this particular seminar, I received a pamphlet about teaching in China but decided to pray about the possibility of working in all of Asia, not just China. Within a week, a teacher at my school brought an email to my attention that she had received from her university about Yokohama Jogakuin. At that moment, I took my father’s often-given advice, “Walk through the doors until they close.” From that moment on, I did just that. I never once felt that I was making a wrong decision even though I was going to a foreign country where I did not know anyone and I did not know the language. Everything fell into place and now I know why: Yokohama Jogakuin is a wonderful school, with an incredible staff and amazing students. I love my students so much and my prayer is that I can be an effective witness to each of them and bring them to know God as their personal Savior.

University attended: Colorado State University
Major: B.A. in technical journalism, B.V.A. in fine arts with an emphasis in graphic design
How I came to Yokohama JoGakuin: I first came to Japan to visit my sister Mary. Mary lived in Yokosuka and worked as a missionary to the American military and as a teacher. When I came to Japan I was working as a journalist in America. My sister had often told me that I should come to Japan and teach English but I never really thought about it very hard. Then I came for a visit. I could feel God telling me during my visit that he wanted me to come here and to teach. The rest just slid into place. I interviewed with the church that sent me to Japan as a teacher and missionary and they accepted me right away. Then I got a job offer from Yokohama JoGakuin and I felt that it was the right school for me. I have been so blessed by my opportunity to minister and teach at Yokohama JoGakuin. Everyday is full of love and I have learned more here than I have taught. It is a truly wonderful school.

University: Liberty University
Degree: B.S. Integrated Studies in Elementary Education with minors in Science and English
How I came to YJG: I was doing my student teaching, and one day while checking my e-mail I noticed one of the many I received and deleted each week was from our School of Education Secretary. She sent out e-mails about teaching positions around the world. I had never felt led to inquire about any of the positions, and usually quickly dismissed them. Then the e-mail came about Yokohama Jogakuin. I was answering the e-mail before I even realized what I was doing. I wanted more information. My dad had spent two summers in Japan doing missionary work, and I had been fascinated since I was a small child with the Japan my father spoke of. God had his hand in this as He has in every aspect of my life, and I was quickly given information about the school. Within two weeks of inquiring, I had a phone interview, and then was offered the job. Friends were amazed I was willing to leave my beloved Texas and family, to go to a foreign country where I couldn’t speak the language. God has taken care of me, and I couldn’t be more blessed. Yokohama Jogakuin is a wonderful school full of fantastic faculty and lovable students. I thank God daily for placing me in such a special place where I can be a light and testimony to many people, while working at a job I love.

Yokohama Jogakuin Clubs