By Walter Peña, Director of Operations
Being part of a community means sharing its values, and here in Yokohama, nature is at the heart of daily life. At YIS, we are surrounded by beautiful examples such as Izumi Park and Sancho Park, just minutes away on foot, and the historic Sankeien Garden, only an eight-minute drive away. We reaffirm our sense of belonging and honor our community’s values by making our own contribution through our campus, where trees, gardens, and rooftops reflect our respect for nature and commitment to sustainability.
Stories in Our Trees
Across campus, 29 trees bring life and meaning to our 1,470 square meters of green space. Each one has a story: some are travelers, others are heirlooms, many are gifts — and all are symbols of connection.
Travelers: Three ash trees journeyed from Kagoshima to our Street, and two Someiyoshino cherry blossoms arrived from Saitama. They have been welcomed and settled into their new home, just like so many new families who join YIS from across Japan and around the world.
Heirlooms: Four osmanthus trees and crape myrtles were moved from our former campus in Yamate, carrying memories of 97 years of YIS history and creating a living connection to the future.
Gifts: Graduating classes, former staff, and partner companies have donated cherry blossoms, plums, olives, and more — turning our campus into an expression of partnership and generosity.
Symbols of Japan: Cherry blossoms, plums, and a maple tree root us in Japan’s cultural seasons — spring blossoms, New Year blooms, and autumn colors. Many of these trees are still young, and we look forward to the blooming years ahead.
Personal Stories: A girl magnolia, planted in memory of Kate, a former student who passed away, reminds us that trees can also be tributes to the people who shaped our community.
Gardens as Learning Spaces
Our green corners are places to learn, reflect, and grow. The entrance next to the field and across from the cafeteria is alive with rosemary, lavender, pampas, loquat, and amethyst sage, offering seasonal colors and scents. This seemingly eclectic landscaping is a reflection of the diversity of our population, reminding us that all the colors, scents, and variety makes us a strong and beautiful community.
On the third-floor rooftop, our third graders are in full bloom caring for a herb garden and selling herbs each week. They are having an excellent season this year, with many jalapeños (my favorite) sold so far.
The Japanese garden by Chowa-an invites mindfulness and cultural reflection.
The auditorium rooftop green area not only adds its quota of greenery but also helps reduce summer temperatures by 2-3 degrees inside the auditorium, a simple but powerful act of sustainability.
An Invitation to Notice
Each tree, each garden, and each rooftop is part of a bigger story of belonging, sustainability, and memory. The next time you walk around campus, pause for a moment, look closely, and ask yourself: what stories of care and belonging live in these green areas? In that moment, you’ll discover more than greenery, you’ll find stories deeply rooted in our community.
Keep Growing With Us
Our campus green spaces are already filled with stories of travel, memory, generosity, and culture, but the story is not complete. There is still space to plant new trees and create new gardens. Each addition brings new meaning, new connections, and new memories.
If you would like to be part of this living legacy, we welcome you to reach out and see how we can continue writing our story in nature, together.