News

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February 2023

For those of you interested in the media's take on the growth of international schools in Japan have a look at the most recent article in Japan's Asahi Shinbun.  

The gist of the article and others like it, including a 7 page spread in the Globe on Jan 22, is that these schools are for Japanese too, especially those modern families who may be dissatisfied with the domestic system.

Overall these articles paint a very positive picture of the presence and growth of International Schools in Japan, while downplaying the significance of archaic rules which might discourage some families from going outside the domestic system.

July 2022

Takumi Associates recently became an Associate Member of the Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP).  

https://www.tokyopreschools.org/

TAIP is a terrific organization formed in 2005, with the mission to support international preschools in the Tokyo area in terms of networking, staff development, parent education, and publicity.

Takumi Associates looks forward to contributing to this thriving preschool community!

March 2022

Takumi Associates was formed in 2018 by Ayako Sugaya, Tim Thornton and Matt McGuire with a vision to assist international schools in Asia with their most critical management issues. Since those 4 years have elapsed we are proud to have served many of Asia’s prestigious international schools in some way.  We have also had the opportunity to add a fourth Partner to our franchise, Graham Silverthorne, who, with Ayako, has spearheaded the creation of Takumi X, our division that focuses on the professional development of people and educational strategy. We are also excited about the 2021 establishment of the Procurement Services division where we now serve 25 schools with a specialist staff of 7 employees.  

A unique aspect of Takumi Associates is that we are not just people with corporate or education experience, but rather we have a blend of the two. So when we need to solve a problem for a school we draw upon those experiences to find the best practice as well as workable solutions that we can help to implement. This is what gives us the ability to relate to both administrators and board members, and add value to the school.  This is what we want to continue to build upon to better service our clients into the future.  

In this light we are very happy to announce that Ayako will be taking on a critical role within one of Asia’s most respected schools in Singapore as Director of People. While this will be a full-time endeavor for Ayako, we welcome the opportunity for her to broaden her school experience within a premier international education institution. As far as her capacity within Takumi Associates, she will not play a consulting role, however she will remain as a Founding Partner & Advisor.  If you have any questions or inquiries, any one of us will be very pleased to help.