An American Mom Living In Japan Shares Her Son's School Supply Haul

Whether or not you want to admit it, the back-to-school season will be here before you know it! For some moms, school is just a mere couple of weeks away, and that means school supply shopping will be in full swing! For one mom living overseas, that whole process looks a little different.

Moriah, an American mom living in Okinowaka, Japan with her family, posts regularly on her social media, documenting her life as a transplant living in a foreign country.

In one of her latest videos, she shared her son’s school supply haul. From completely adorable loafers to an unusual musical instrument, the haul just shows how truly different other countries are when it comes to kids and schooling. The video has since gotten over 10 million views.

“My son starts at his Japanese school in September, and we just got all of his school supplies ... So now I get to show you all the required items that we had to buy from the school ... This is the order form. and we spent 65,000 yen on all of this which is roughly $420,” she began.

Well, that’s a big price tag. But it makes sense when you see what’s included.

“Starting off with something cute. This is his summer hat. He wears this to and from school and it's winter time. He will have a different uniform and a different hat. This is the hat that he wears outside. Every classroom has a color. This is his name tag that gets pinned to his uniform every day,” she shared.

Next, she shows her son’s backpack for school which is extremely small compared to the giant ones we hang off the tiny backs of our kindergarteners.

“I don't think he'll ever get over how itty bitty it is,” she jokes before showing his uniform required for school.

“This is his shirt, and then I have to get his name in Japanese sewed onto the front of both of those ... I got two sets of the blue short overalls. Two of the button-up shirts. His art smock ... Bow tie. They wear this during formal events,” she explained.

Moriah moves onto his shoes, which consist of indoor shoes, outdoor shoes, and an adorable pair of loafers!

“So freaking cute,” she remarked before moving onto his actual supplies that will stay at school.

First up: a pianica.

“It has different names elsewhere. It is absolutely a pianica. All of the kids get these and learn how to play them and then they'll have a school event where we get to watch and see what they've learned,” she says before giving the odd instrument a whirl herself.

The supply list also includes a drawing pad, a jump rope, a box for all the supplies with a multi-use top for clay molds. The box also contains scissors, clay, clay box, a pouch for “communications for the parents,” glue, pastels and markers.

“Our interpreter recommended getting this stamped so it has my son's name in Japanese and that way I can just stamp across instead of trying to write his name in Japanese over a hundred times,” she explained.

“Everything that we bought that was from the school was required to be this specific brand of stuff., but we have another list of things that we need to go out of town and buy like his lunch mat, a water bottle, all the extras and that we can personalize a little more.”

“I just went through this process three months ago and three months ago, it felt like the most daunting process ever because everything was so specific. But now I'm actually excited to get everything organized and ready for the start of the school year in September. I'll update you in September and see if I still feel the same way,” she joked.

Moriah and her family moved to Okinawa in January 2024 when her military husband received orders to be stationed there. They will be in Japan anywhere from 3 to 6 years. No one in the family speaks Japanese. However, they are learning and have the help of an interpreter in the meantime.

In a video where Moriah sits down to answer people’s questions about her life in Japan, she explains more about her sons’ schooling.

“I knew about Montessori programs before, but I never really got to experience it. Once we toured the school and saw what they do on a day-to-day basis, and the fact that my kids did not want to leave after the tour, we knew that it was something that we wanted to try out,” she explained.

“We are the parents, but I went off of my kids' reaction to touring the different schools, and they absolutely loved this one. So, a school year in Japan starts in April instead of August, like it does in the U.S. My oldest turns five next month, and my youngest turns three next month. I did see some concern about the boys not being able to understand and learn, but they wouldn't be starting school until August or later anyway.”

“We spoke to other military families who put their kids in a school out in town, and so many people had amazing things to say about it. My oldest is thriving, but my youngest has a different personality, and if it does not work out for him, then I will remove him, and I will put him in a different school. Same with my oldest, if I notice anything negative, thinking that he's falling behind, I will absolutely remove him in a heartbeat and transfer him to a school on base.”

She then explains the high cost (over 400 American dollars) of the initial payment for her sons’ school supplies. However, the cost of private schools in Japan has nothing on U.S. prices.

“Yes, the upfront supplies and the cost of enrolling the kids is pretty high. But for a private school, I'm paying $70 a month per child every month. So, $140 total for two kids. There are still a lot that's required for the public schools here, but they are a lot more affordable for the upfront costs.”