A Small Abacus School in Aomori Transitions to an Online School with 770 Students in 26 Countries Spurred by the Pandemic—The Challenge of 'Kawakami School Japan' attracting Media Attention
Kawakami School Japan, a small abacus school in Aomori, shifted completely online during the COVID-19 pandemic and rapidly grew via SNS into a massive platform teaching 770 students globally.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 10:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 00:27 (325h 57m after Collected)
Towada City, Aomori Prefecture. In this city with a population of about 60,000, there is an online abacus school that attracts 770 students from 26 countries around the world. Kawakami School Japan—we share the story of a small classroom started by a mother at home about 40 years ago, which transitioned online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and grew into one of Japan's largest online abacus schools.
## It Began With a Mother's Desire to Say 'Welcome Home'
The origin of Kawakami School Japan lies with the mother of its representative, Takenori Kawakami. About 40 years ago, she wanted to be able to say 'Welcome home' to her children when they returned from school—that desire was the starting point for teaching the abacus at home.
The mother herself had learned the abacus since childhood and had experience competing in numerous tournaments. She gathered neighborhood children and started teaching the abacus alongside her bookkeeping work. Eventually, she expanded to multiple classrooms within Aomori Prefecture and even advanced into the Kanto region.
## The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Turning Point—The Decision to Go 'Fully Online' in a Family Meeting
In 2020, the novel coronavirus spread. While many abacus schools were forced to close, Representative Kawakami put into action a concept he had been warming up to for some time.
'I had always thought about switching to an online system eventually. To prepare for a future with a declining birthrate.'
A family meeting was hastily convened. His mother, brother, and sister all agreed, saying, 'That sounds interesting.' The disposition to actively adopt new things is something inherited from their founder mother.
Taking the extension of the state of emergency as an opportunity, they completely closed their classrooms in the Kanto region. Everything was switched to online.
## An Increase of 80 Students in 3 Months—Rapid Growth via SNS Word-of-Mouth
The effects of going online appeared immediately. Triggered by new parents posting on SNS that 'the online abacus school is good,' 70 to 80 new students enrolled in just 3 months.
While students who insisted on in-person instruction left, students from regions who previously could not attend due to geographical constraints joined one after another. From Hokkaido to Okinawa, and even overseas.
## It Began With a Mother's Desire to Say 'Welcome Home'
The origin of Kawakami School Japan lies with the mother of its representative, Takenori Kawakami. About 40 years ago, she wanted to be able to say 'Welcome home' to her children when they returned from school—that desire was the starting point for teaching the abacus at home.
The mother herself had learned the abacus since childhood and had experience competing in numerous tournaments. She gathered neighborhood children and started teaching the abacus alongside her bookkeeping work. Eventually, she expanded to multiple classrooms within Aomori Prefecture and even advanced into the Kanto region.
## The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Turning Point—The Decision to Go 'Fully Online' in a Family Meeting
In 2020, the novel coronavirus spread. While many abacus schools were forced to close, Representative Kawakami put into action a concept he had been warming up to for some time.
'I had always thought about switching to an online system eventually. To prepare for a future with a declining birthrate.'
A family meeting was hastily convened. His mother, brother, and sister all agreed, saying, 'That sounds interesting.' The disposition to actively adopt new things is something inherited from their founder mother.
Taking the extension of the state of emergency as an opportunity, they completely closed their classrooms in the Kanto region. Everything was switched to online.
## An Increase of 80 Students in 3 Months—Rapid Growth via SNS Word-of-Mouth
The effects of going online appeared immediately. Triggered by new parents posting on SNS that 'the online abacus school is good,' 70 to 80 new students enrolled in just 3 months.
While students who insisted on in-person instruction left, students from regions who previously could not attend due to geographical constraints joined one after another. From Hokkaido to Okinawa, and even overseas.