Community

Japanese corporate culture puts significant pressure on families. Deficits in the workforce and population see the conflicting demands to engage in paid work while raising children falling squarely on women’s shoulders. Unfortunately, the current social system does not properly support them. Many women work full time while single-handedly managing their household because their spouses are required to work late into the night. This pattern deprives both parents of rest and prevents men from fully participating in family life.

We can’t do much to change the system overnight, but we can offer parents somewhere to rest awhile at drop-off and pick-up, a place to spend time with their child and other parents. We can offer mothers a rare third option between full-time parenting and full-time daycare, supporting the fulfilment of their professional goals while they stay close and connected to their babies. To fathers, we offer a place to be themselves, where their presence and participation is welcome – not seen as anomalous. We believe that improving the welfare of the family begins with offering both men and women a framework for a balanced life and the support of a community, that they may fully experience the joys of raising children.

Our dedicated community and incubation managers can help with startups, entrepreneurship, networking, collaborations and job matching. Since opening in 2018, we have hired preschool parents to work at our head office, to make organic snacks for the class and as temp workers at Ryozan Park share office enterprises.

Parents are invited to attend coworking events such as lectures and presentations in addition to regular preschool gatherings like family dinners, parents’ lunches, weekend workshops, round table discussions on subjects such as gender roles and parenting strategies, and our annual community-wide mochi-pounding party and sports day. Rest assured that none of these is mandatory.