The Children’s Academy is not what I expected. Even after advising Sachiko’s research for several years, the visions of institutional care most prominent in my mind were from my readings of western orphanages in the early 20th century: facilities in which children experienced such profound deprivation that their survival and long term development were threatened. How startled I was to enter into the modern, well equipped Children’s Academy full of lively children and smiling caregivers. We first visited the preschool children’s house where five or six children were busily playing with an ample supply of age-appropriate toys in excellent condition, reading and writing with caregivers, or pretending with peers. The facility resembled a Japanese apartment with a kitchen-dining area, living room, bath room and several bedrooms. As our tour continued and we peaked into bedrooms at the children’s houses, I was struck by how personalized children had made their bedrooms. Bedspreads, decorations, toys, and books reflected each child’s interests and personality. I asked about the individualization of children’s bedrooms, and was told that children received a monthly allowance which they might use to purchase toys and decorations of their choice from local variety stores. These practices, along with the physical and social ecologies we observed, would seem to support children’s Ibasho creation. And yet, adults expressed some concerns. What do they see as challenges to children’s Ibasho creation at the institution?

Wendy’s field note