The November 3 episode of Japanese ABEMA variety show Naokiman’s Urban Legends Wide Show Season 4 explored Minato Ward, one of Tokyo’s most affluent districts, uncovering some of its lesser-known stories. The area is home to upscale residential and commercial neighborhoods, including Roppongi, Azabu and Akasaka.
Anna Ishida, who is married to a company executive and raising three children, revealed that wealthy parents spend considerable amounts of money to get their children into prestigious kindergartens and schools. Introducing specialized early-childhood education centers that prepare children for entrance examinations, she said she had heard that enrolling in such facilities could help guarantee admission to elite schools or provide an advantage during the application process. She particularly surprised the other guests by revealing, “Some children start studying for entrance exams from the age of zero.” According to her, some families spend enormous sums on education from infancy to support their children’s brain development.
Host Rina Sasazaki also brought up the claim that the admissions competition can begin even before a child is born. She explained that once a baby’s gender is known, conversations may already revolve around whether a particular school has filled its quota for female students.
The fierce competition over information among mothers was another topic discussed on the show. Ishida mentioned that certain gymnastics classes were believed to improve children’s chances of getting into prestigious kindergartens. However, when she asked other mothers which classes their children attended, she rarely received a straightforward answer. “When you ask where their children go, they dodge the question,” she said. “It’s because we’re rivals. It’s especially true when our children are the same gender.”
The program also highlighted the strict lifestyle habits maintained by some wealthy families. Ishida explained that many parents refuse to give their children snacks, juice or chocolate, meaning they have to be careful about what food they serve when inviting their children’s friends over.
Following the broadcast, Japanese netizens criticized the intense competition surrounding early childhood education. Comments included, “Children are not their parents’ possessions” and “Respecting what children want should come first.” Many expressed concern about excessive academic pressure being placed on young children.
However, others cautioned against treating Ishida’s examples as representative of everyone living in Minato Ward. One netizen who said they were from the district commented, “There are no mothers like that around me.” They also suggested that mothers might avoid sharing educational information not because they see one another as rivals, but because they want to protect their children’s privacy.
Meanwhile, Anna Ishida was born in 1996 and is now 30 years old. She debuted as a second-generation member of Japanese girl group SKE48 in 2009 and also participated in activities with AKB48. After graduating from SKE48 in 2017, she continued working as a television personality, appearing on various variety programs.
In 2021, she married a company executive who is 22 years older than her. Her husband is reportedly a businessman who runs five companies, and Ishida attracted attention after sharing glimpses of her luxurious lifestyle following their marriage. Last year, she moved from a luxury apartment in Tokyo into a newly built mansion reportedly worth around 400 million yen. The property, which she showcased on television, featured a living room measuring approximately 50 tatami mats in size, luxurious furniture and marble interiors.
Sources: Daum