Tampopo Kai

About Tampopo Kai

Tampopo Kai is a Japanese cultural program for preschoolers. Through various engaging activities such as singing, storytelling, and arts & crafts, children and their parents are exposed to the richness of the Japanese language and culture.

Topics that will be covered in Tampopo Kai classes are, but not limited to: Japanese holidays, customs, traditions; Japanese vocabulary words (e.g. colors, numbers, shapes, sizes, family members, greetings, seasons, weather, body parts); Japanese arts (songs, kamishibai-style Japanese storyboards, origami).

The program is organized around three main ideas:

Continue to present an impactful program that is responsive to the developmental needs of infants and toddlers.
Encourage the appreciation of the Japanese language and culture through fun activities.
Create an environment that nurtures positive self-identity by connecting participants to their ethnic heritage.

Who would be a good fit?

Children 5 years old and younger
Families interested in exposing their children to Japanese language, culture, and/or arts
Parents who want their children to develop and maintain a connection to their Japanese heritage
Parents who are looking for a tight-knit community of families raising multilingual children in the U.S.

Tampopo Kai Class video (April 2024).

Click to unmute the video above and hear the class singing together. This class is in our temporary space at RFUMC until our new building opens.

2024-2025 Tampopo Kai Class Schedule

Fall Session will begin in September 2024 at Ravenswood Fellowship UMC
- We expect classes to move to JASC’s new building in late fall/early winter.
Online classes will be held on Fridays from 10:30-11:30 am
In Person Classes will be held on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00 am and 10:15-11:15 am

Fall Registration is now OPEN! Complete form at the bottom of the page or click HERE to register.

Fall Session Classes	1	2	3	4	5
Fridays on Zoom (Online) 10:30 – 11:30 am CST	9/13	9/20	9/27	10/4	10/11
*Saturdays (In-person) at RFUMC 9 am CST	9/14	9/21	9/28	10/5	10/12
*Saturdays (In-person) at RFUMC 10:15 am CST	9/14	9/21	9/28	10/5	10/12

*In-person classes are limited to 15 families in our temporary space at Ravenswood Fellowship Church. If your preferred time class is full we hope you will consider signing up for the other time. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility until we move into our new building later this year.

Click image to enlarge photo.

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church is located on 4511 N Hermitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60640. There is NO parking lot for the church. Please follow local signs for street parking. There is a loading parking spot at the entrance for drop off. Come in through the main office doors, two glass doors to the left of the green sanctuary doors, when standing in front of the building on Hermitage Avenue.

For questions or additional information, please email (English or Japanese) at .

たんぽぽ会からの案内メールをご希望ですか？どうぞ、まで日本語でお問い合わせください。たんぽぽ会　根宜直美（ねぎなおみ).

Click the photo for a video to learn more.

Trimming the Japan tree at the Museum of Science and Industry is a time-honored tradition for Tampopo-Kai families. Tampopo has been decorating the Japan tree with joy and pride for the Christmas Around the World exhibit since 1989.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all classes held online?

Tampopo Kai offers both ONLINE and IN-PERSON classes. Online classes are on Fridays; In-Person are on Saturdays. Times are listed in class schedule above.

Are infants too young to attend classes?

Not at all! We encourage parents to bring their babies to let them hear spoken Japanese. We sing many Japanese children’s songs and read Japanese stories alongside simultaneous English translation. It is a great opportunity to immerse the child in the Japanese language.

Do parents need to participate in the class too?

Yes please! Tampopo Kai is geared towards children 5 years old and younger so a parent or guardian must attend alongside their children. For online class, we ask parents to assist with accessing the Zoom link and managing the on/off of microphones. It’s an enriching experience for the whole family!

Is Tampopo Kai a Japanese language class?

Tampopo Kai exposes children to the Japanese language, but it is not explicitly a language class. Basic Japanese vocabulary words are taught with supplemental explanations in English. Tampopo Kai is more of a cultural program rather than a language program.

About Naomi Negi, Instructor of Tampopo Kai

Originally from Osaka, Japan, “Naomi Sensei,” as she’s known by the community, has been involved with Tampopo Kai as its instructor since 1987. She first became involved with Tampopo Kai due to her strong desire for her three children, who were all born and raised in the US, to build and maintain a connection to their Japanese heritage. She has dedicated 35+ years of her life to creating engaging lesson plans for multiple generations of multicultural children. Outside of instructing Tampopo Kai, she keeps busy as a cultural artist visiting schools, libraries, and museums running workshops and demonstrations of Japanese cultural arts, and remaining connected with the Tampopo alumni community.

For her many years of achievement and leadership, and her dedicated service in the communities we live, work, and play in, Naomi received an “Exemplary Community Service” Award at the 2018 Asian American Lunar New Year Celebration. She has also received a Cultural Achievement Award in 2023 from the Japan America Society of Chicago.