Sports and Activities
Nurturing our Passions
We offer a wide range of student activities across physical, creative and intellectual pursuits. Students learn best when engaged with their passions; our activities nurture students' dreams for life-long learning, personal growth and fun.
Athletics
Welcome to the YIS athletic program—home of the Dragons. Our goal is to encourage athletes of all ages to fully realize their potential by offering a varied program designed to stimulate and develop the interests of every participant. We believe that a first-class after-school athletic program helps prepare students for success in life, and we stress hard work, leadership, camaraderie, sportsmanship and fair play, while fostering a desire to learn about, and learn from, sports. Our primary focuses are fun and inclusion, while at the same time introducing students to the basics of sportsmanship, skill development and teamwork.
We participate in several associations, two domestic and one international. Middle school and high school teams both take part in most events within the greater Tokyo area as part of the KPASSP league. Our high school athletes also compete in the Kansai region as members of the WJAA league, as well as in AISA league events with schools in Japan and Korea.
The athletic program in middle and high school is an important part of a carefully crafted, balanced approach that aims to contribute to students' physical, social and emotional well-being, and move them one step closer to being able to take their place in the world as responsible global citizens. MS/HS after-school sports are offered by season.
Fall Season
- HS Boys Volleyball
- HS Girls Volleyball
- HS Boys/Girls X-Country
- HS Boys/Girls Tennis
- MS Boys Soccer
- MS Boys/Girls Swimming
- HS Boys/Girls Swimming
- MS Girls Volleyball
- MS Boys/Girls X-Country
Winter Season
- HS Boys Basketball
- HS Girls Basketball
- HS Girls Field Hockey
- MS Boys Basketball
- MS Girls Soccer
- MS Boys/Girls Swimming
- HS Boys/Girls Swimming
Spring Season
- HS Badminton
- MS Badminton
- MS Baseball
- MS Girls Basketball
- MS Field Hockey
- HS Boys Soccer
- HS Girls Soccer
- MS Boys/Girls Swimming
- HS Boys/Girls Swimming
YIS campus athletic facilities include a double gymnasium with two official-size basketball courts and spectator balcony, a 25m heated indoor swimming pool with spectator balcony, a 90m x 46m artificial turf sports field, two 3-on-3 basketball courts, and a dance studio.
If you have questions about our athletic program, please contact Brinya Tananone, our activities and community programs director.
Academic and Others
Bringing the classroom into every day life
Elementary
- Beading
- Card & Board Games
- Chowa Yearbook
- Cross Stitch
- Gardening Club
- Japanese Calligraphy
- Knitting
- Lego Club
- Library Council
- Make & Create
- Nature Sketching
- Robotics
- Sakura Medal Book Bowl
- Student Ambassadors
- Student Council
Secondary
- Brainbowl
- Chowa Yearbook
- Dragon Council
- East & West Board Games
- Environment Club
- Library Council
- Math & Science Support Club
- Mental Health Awareness Club
- Model United Nations
- Origami Unlimited
- Robotics
- Sakura Book Club
- Student Ambassadors
- Student Council
- YIS Maker Club
- YIS Student Newspaper
Artistic and Musical
Living our dreams
Elementary
- Choir
- Drama Club
- Elementary String Ensemble
- Koto Ensemble
- Student Council
- Three seasons of various Extracurricular Activities
Secondary
- Art club
- Chowa Yearbook
- Dance Company
- Digital Illustration
- Drama
- Jazz Band
- Koto Ensemble
- Model United Nations
- MS/HS String Ensemble
- Student Council
- Wind Ensemble
Elementary
What Are Elementary School Activities?
Our elementary school activities (ESA) program includes a range of sporting, games, music, art, dance and recreational activities for students in kindergarten - Grade 5, supervised by school staff, parents and visiting instructors or leaders. Students are given a wide variety of opportunities to develop their skills and extend their experiences, and we encourage all students and teachers to participate. Parents are likewise able to become involved in the program as they are often invited to help out as chaperones for the various activities.
Elementary activities vary from year to year depending on teachers’ interests. Choices continue to change and evolve, and updated information is listed in the elementary activities catalog posted before the start of each season.
TIMING AND SIGN-UP
The ESA program runs over three sessions, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, beginning in September, January, and March. Activities start at 3:15 pm and finish at 4:00 pm, unless otherwise notified.
Prior to each session, we post a catalog of the activities available for that session and a link to online activity signup via the parent portal. We make every effort to place children in at least one of the activities they request, but families should be aware that activities are not necessarily offered on a first come, first served basis. Rather, we take into consideration a variety of factors (e.g., activity size, age and gender balance, etc.) in selecting the activity groups. The great majority of our activities are supervised by YIS staff and do not involve any extra fees. There are a few activities offered by outside providers (such as aikido and individual music instruction), which involve a separate activity fee.
Secondary
What Are Secondary School Activities?
We offer an abundant variety of clubs and activities for middle and high school students, ranging from sports to music and drama, student government and much more. Offerings may be found in our Secondary Activities Catalog.
TIMING AND SIGN-UP
Most clubs and activities take place after school (usually 4:00 – 6:00 pm but occasionally up to 7:00 pm) but some meet before school (8:00 – 9:00 am) or during lunchtime. Some activities, for example many of the sports games/tournaments, also take place on the weekends. Students sign up for activities in early September.
Some secondary activities run for all three seasons, while most are held for one or two sessions. The great majority of our activities are supervised by YIS staff and do not involve any extra fees. In the case of some high school activities with matches or tournaments outside the Yokohama/Tokyo area, students are responsible for covering travel fees.
BALANCE & COMMITMENT
It is important that students carefully select activity schedules in light of overall time commitments, including study needs, commuting times, etc. We encourage a healthy balance among academics, sports, fine arts and service programs. While we believe that an active and involved student is a healthy student, we also believe that it is important for students and their families to make informed decisions about the level of that involvement. Too little involvement can mean that a student is not taking advantage of his or her school years, while too much involvement can impact on academic success. If students are to opt for, and be successful in, gaining a place in a team or in a performance, they have a responsibility to commit to the activity.