Relocation consultation — childcare information—

These days more families with children are seeking for consultation for relocation.
One family who is considering relocation from Gunma prefecture visited our office today.

The father is currently too busy with his work to spend time with his children.
So that he is going to change his job, and also consider to relocate at the same timing.
They happened to know Iisumi-shi and visited us seeking for consultation.

Here is the list of questions that are often asked by families with children.

>Children waiting to enroll in nursery school
* Currently there is no child waiting to enroll in nursery school.
If you wish to place your child in a nursery school that is already full to capacity, however, you may have to choose another nursery school.
The application will be accepted from November or so every year.
Once you decide which nursery school you wish to enroll your child in, submit an application form with other documents required to the nursery school, and wait for the review and result.
As in some cases it takes 2 to 3 months for the review, we recommend that you make an early application for the entry.

Mid-year enrollment
Submit an application to the desired nursery school by the previous month of the desired enrollment month.
For the particular circumstance, such as mother-child family, if an application is submitted with all necessary documents no later than the 15th of a month prior to the desired enrollment month, the child may enroll the nursery school on the 1st day of the following month at earliest.

For more details, please contact:
Childcare support section, Welfare division: 0470-62-1117

>After school care program (Clubs for after school activities for children)
The program is available for children from 1st through 3rd grade of elementary school whose parents are not at home during day time due to work or so.
The fee is 5000 yen/month (7000 yen/month in August)
*The fee may change after next year depending on the budget.

>Number of children of nursery school and elementary school
Ohara elementary school (450), Tokai elementary school (200), Choja elementary school (200), Taito elementary school (200) are relatively more students than other schools. In some area, the number of student of the elementary school may be around 100.
Each school may have their own feature. It is recommended to look on the elementary and nursery schools before you decide the area to live.
For more details. You can check the school district etc.

>Is there any emergency hospital that is available during night time in Isumi-shi?
Isumi Medical Center has its function during night time, but the doctor of the department in charge may not be always available.

For more details, contact:
Iisumi Medical Center
1177 Kariya, isumi-shi
0470-86-2311

These were the most asked question.
There are many cases and we do not know everything, but we communicate with the relevant department of Isumi city government and other related organization to collect information.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact us.

Recently one family moved to Isumi.
They found a job in Isumi-shi that met their requirement after 2 years, and just started to look for a house. The reason they decided to move to Isumi-shi was that “they felt comfortable with the country view of the paddy field”

It may be good to visit the place repeatedly, feel the atmosphere of the area by your own, collect information from the people who are actually living the place, and compare with other places before relocation. It may take time, but you will find the better place you can live longer in the end.

When you visit Isumi, please stop at our office.

( Miho / Yasuko )

update : 2015/03/28 02:11
Category : Diary, information

I participated in Symposium on Creating Satoyama where People Live with Nature”

“3rd Symposium on Creating Satoyama where People Live with Nature” was held on March 7th 2015 at Misaki community center.

The theme was “Let’s hand over the rich nature and build the safe and secure agriculture for the future of children”

It started with a speech about “Biodiversity and creating strategy in Isumi-shi.”
And then messages were given from the citizen. After that the panel discussion was held with Mr. Inaba, a lecturer of organic rice growing.

Many people were interested and participated in the symposium.
There were also elementary school students and they were listening earnestly.

The message from the citizen was about creating satoyama, woodlands located near human habitat, exclusively in Isumi-shi.

Satoyama is an area where multiple environmental factors such as paddy field, vegetable field, stream, forest, and human are mixed.

In the symposium, I knew that the condition of satoyama in Isumi-shi was better among others in Japan.

People had been living in the environment with rich biodiversity in the old days, and the benefit of satoyama had been handed down, but now a lot of fields and woodlands of satoyama areas are abandoned and no longer cultivated or taken care. The influence extends even to the ocean.

But I knew that it is not too late yet.
For example, although the number of Miyako tanago (Japanese bitterling, fish) of nationally protected species is less than before, it is not extinct yet, and there is such fish in Isumi-shi.

Among these stories, the speech of Mr. Shinishi Tsurubuchi was very encouraging.
It was about what he felt about nature, relationship with people, and I felt his passion for rice-growing.

Afterward, 3 boys from 5th grade of Furusawa elementary school presented “Our wish” representing students.

Their frank comment regarding their fieldwork of rice-growing and observation on lives in the paddy field in the class was favorable.

I do not think that people know the nature very well just because they live in the countryside.
I felt the “real experience” is the most important.

The mood is different when children participate in the meeting!

The symposium was a good opportunity for me to see matters not as someone else’s business, but as my own business.

You can read the whole texts of “Isumi biodiversity strategy”.

( UI / Yasuko )

update : 2015/03/20 23:05
Category : Diary, town events

Solar Panel on the Farmland

The wind is still chilly, but the sun is becoming somewhat warm these days.

As a project to utilize the sunshine, solar panel was installed at Goheiyama-nouen, Mr. Fujie’s farmland, where he grows blueberry and fig. I visited his farm to see the installation of the panels.

The trestle had been built in the blueberry field.

I had ever seen solar panels only on the roof or on the ground.
But here they install the panels 3 meters above the blueberry field with the sufficient space between the panels to maintain the sunshine condition for the blueberry.
This is a new method called “solar sharing.”

This was the field for people to enjoy blueberry picking when it is in the season, and it remain the same this year. It is a way to utilize the land effectively.

In this blueberry field, it generates enough electricity to provide power to10 homes.
The electricity generated is going to be sold Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc.

I was most surprised that the people who were installing the panels were the acquaintances each other, not outsourced engineers.
They are of course knowledgeable about solar system including solar system related engineers, but they are also supporters of the project.
Some people are from Ichihara-shi, and even from Fukushima prefecture!
It was lively on the day with total 19 people participated as a helper.

They also do detailed assembling works by themselves.

Persons who were used to work in high place installed the panel one by one. The total number of the panel was 180 pieces.

They think that they build it themselves, so it becomes their own matter, not someone else’s matter, and it is also good that they can fix themselves when it is broken.

They create an actual example by themselves, and would like expand the method to other people who have land or fallow land.
It must be a tough work, but they talk pleasantly.

Solar energy grows blueberry and generates electricity at the same time, while people’s energy are so powerful as well!

You will be able to enjoy blueberry picking under the driving solar panel next time!
I look forward to it!

< Horii / Yasuko )

update : 2015/03/02 21:02
Category : information, town events