Lucas Sakaino Interview
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When did you start at School at YES?
"I first came to YES in 2022 when I started 6th grade. I was born in Japan but I lived in California until I was 8 years old because of my dad's job. I came back to Japan in 2nd grade and moved around a lot because I think my mom wanted to show me lots of different places in Japan. After this, we moved to Yokohama and I joined YES."
What was the hardest thing when you first started?
" I guess it was outside P.E. Compared to other Japanese public schools, the P.E program here was fun but a little intense. Also, I was ok but I think some of the newer students found it hard to do barefoot P.E in the park. I felt like the outside P.E program was not only training of your muscles but also mental endurance and the attitude of not giving up. After a while, P.E kind of became one of my favorite subjects, though"
Do you know why your parents wanted you to come to YES?
"My mum was searching for schools around Yokohama where I could learn in both Japanese and English. We looked at other international schools as well but it seemed they only focused on English and didn't provide any Japanese language lessons. That's when we found YES and my mom really liked the system here of teaching subjects in both languages."
Do you think what you learned at YES is helping you with life in California?
" Of course! I think definitely coming to YES boosted my English speaking and how to use correct words. I still think I have a lot more to learn but I definitely got better. I remember my TOEFL Junior test score also improved a lot when I was here. My last score was 870 on the TOEFL junior. Coming to YES also gave me more confidence because the study at YES was a bit higher level than other schools."
What would you say to someone who is thinking about joining YES?
" My message is that this school is pretty different from normal public schools. YES is really fun and all the teachers and students are really nice, friendly, and kind. Events like field trips, camping, and the learning festival are also really fun so you will enjoy your time here. "
What were your favorite things about YES?
" I really liked the teachers! They taught us in an easy to understand and fun way. They taught us really difficult stuff but I didn't have any problems with difficulty or being bored. We did lots of fun activities and learned at the same time. I was kind of struggling in my last school with Japanese essays and reading, but I found it really easy to understand at YES. I also liked how the older students helped the younger ones around school and how students generally always helped each other at YES. Especially during events like camping and sports day, it was easy to see the great teamwork between students here."