Tokyo Kodomo Club facts for kids

Tokyo Kodomo Club (東京こどもクラブ, Tōkyō Kodomo Kurabu), which means Tokyo Children Club, was a special learning program from Japan. It came out every month as an audio and visual package. Each package included a 7-inch record with fun stories and songs. It also had a picture book that you could put into a special folder.

The program had two main courses for different ages. One course was for children aged 2-4 years old, and the other was for kids aged 5-7 years old. Each course was designed to be completed in 12 months. On top of that, every three months, the Club sent out extra stories, songs, and music on a bigger 12-inch record.

The stories on one side of the records were told by a person called "Uncle Maeda" (前田武彦, Takehiko Maeda). On the other side, "Bin-chan" (楠トシエ, Toshie Kusunoki) did the narrations. These records were monaural, meaning the sound came from one channel, and they played at 33-1/3 rotations per minute (rpm). Today, it's very hard to find these recordings because they are no longer made.

Discovering the Programs

The programs were created to introduce children to stories and songs from all over the world. They especially focused on European orchestral music. Often, classical music played in the background during the main stories. This helped set the mood for the story.

The lessons in the picture books had color-coded bullet points to help you know what was what. Red bullets were for the main story, blue bullets were for songs, and yellow bullets were for extra stories that appeared sometimes. In the very first courses, main stories and songs had a star bullet, and extra stories had a circle. Later on, they changed to red circles, blue squares, and yellow triangles, but the colors still meant the same things.

Courses for Different Ages

2-4 Year Old Basic Course

This course was for the youngest learners, introducing them to classic stories and simple songs.

2-4 Year Old Graduation Course

This special record was given when children finished the basic course.

2-4 Year Old Graduate Course

After the basic course, children could continue with this graduate course.

5-7 Year Old Basic Course

This course was designed for slightly older children, with more complex stories and songs.

5-7 Year Old Graduation Course

This record featured classical overtures for older children.

5-7 Year Old Graduate Course

This course offered more advanced stories and songs for older children.

Special Quarterly Records

Every three months, the Tokyo Kodomo Club sent out extra records with more stories and songs.

Songs for Each Season

This series had songs and stories about the different seasons: autumn, winter, spring, and summer.

The Purple Flowers

This special record was called The Purple Flowers: Mother who Fell Ill (むらさきのはな：びょうきになったおかあさん, Murasaki no Hana: Byōki ni natta O-kā-san).

Let's Sing with Dad

This record, Let's sing with Dad (おとさんとうたいましょう, O-tō-san to Utaimashō), encouraged singing together.

Uncle's Pastures

This record was titled Uncle's Pastures (おじさんのまきばで, O-ji-san no Makiba).

Kodomo Concert Hall Series

The Kodomo Concert Hall series featured recordings by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. These records introduced children to famous classical music pieces.

Uncle Kōji's Story Bag

This series, Uncle Kōji's Story Bag (コージおじさんのおはなしぶくろ, Kōji ojisan no Ohanashibukuro), contained various stories.

Sing in English Group

The Tokyo Kodomo Club also created two courses for Japanese children to learn English songs. These songs were sung by Esther Ghan and her children.

Let’s Sing English Songs (1)

This course, Let’s Sing English Songs (英語で歌いましょう, Ei-go de Utaimashō), was like the Japanese courses, with monthly records over two years.

Let’s Sing English Songs (2)

This was the second part of the English songs course.

Folk-album for All (1)

For older children, there was a series called Folk-album for All (みんなのフォーク・アルバム, Minna no Fōku-arubamu). It had six lesson units and a Christmas special, also spanning two years.

Folk-album for All (2)

This was the second part of the folk album series.

Other Recordings

• Bin-Chan's Song and Story (びんちゃんのうたとおはなし, Bin-chan no Uta to O-hanashi): This record included songs and stories about spring, a springbrook, and Koinobori (carp streamers), and summer.

How to Contact Them

Here is the contact information for the Tokyo Kodomo Club.

Original Address:

• Tokyo Kodomo Club
  15-5 Hachiyama-chō
  Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō, Japan 〒150-0035
• Old Telephone: 81-3-464-1311 (or 03-464-1311 if calling within Japan)
• Newer Telephone: 81-3-3464-1311 or 81-3-3464-7468 (or 03-3464-1311 or 03-3464-7468 within Japan)
• Postal transfer: Tokyo 5-88764

Current Address:

• Tokyo Kodomo Club
  12-4 Asahi-chō
  Hachiōji-shi, Tōkyō, Japan 〒192-0083
• Telephone: 81-42-656-6756 (or 042-656-6756 within Japan)