About Us

Niji-no-Kai (The Rainbow Club: Volunteers for International Friendship) is a volunteer group founded in 1981 to promote international friendship and provide a support network for foreign residents living in and around Tsukuba City.  

In our early days, with the help of local residents, we organized bazaars to provide affordable daily necessities to newly arrived international residents. We also hosted social events, such as Japanese cooking classes, to foster interaction.  Since international residents back then lacked essential information about daily life, we published a bilingual booklet called the “Tsukuba City Guide” in English and Japanese as a “survival kit” in 1987. From the third edition onward, we moved this content online in 1995.  Furthermore, we created a six-language “Pregnancy and Childbirth Glossary”—which was unavailable elsewhere at the time—and posted it on our website to support women giving birth in Tsukuba and their families.

Our Japanese Language Program began in 1984 with a class for researchers, launched at the request of the University of Tsukuba's International Student Center. Soon after, we opened classes to international students and their families to meet growing demand. Since there were no other Japanese classes for families at the time, our classrooms quickly became crowded.  Later, we also began offering private lessons for those who could not attend regular classes due to childcare or other reasons.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly transitioned to online classes. Today, our Japanese Language Program is conducted both in person and online. To date, approximately 3,500 foreign nationals have studied Japanese with Niji-no-Kai, and over 2,500 have completed our courses. We also host popular cultural events, such as kimono dressing experiences, to introduce traditional Japanese culture to our students and their families. 

Niji-no-Kai has continuously evolved to stay relevant and keep up with the times. We are currently active across three main divisions: the Japanese Language Class Division, the Private Lesson Division, and the Cultural Exchange Division.

We no longer provide local lifestyle information, as this is now easily accessible through city halls and other sources. Similarly, we no longer hold bazaars, since daily necessities can now be easily purchased at local flea markets, discount stores, and 100-yen shops.

Our activities are highly regarded, and over the years we have received awards from the following organizations:

We remain dedicated to fostering cross-cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and harmonious coexistence between Japanese and international residents in the Tsukuba area, as well as among international residents themselves.

We celebrated our 30th anniversary in March 2011 and our 40th anniversary in March 2021, marking both milestones with the publication of commemorative booklets.

If you are interested in the activities of Niji-no-Kai (The Rainbow Club), please feel free to contact us at joho@rainbowclub.gr.jp