Based in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture, NPO ToriCote organizes cultural events for families and promotes international exchange within the local community.
Among its board members is Chikako Ishigaki, who leads family-oriented programs including parent-child activities, interactive play sessions, singing, and storytelling.
While working as a childcare professional for the past 14 years, Chikako has also been creating opportunities for families to connect through social media and community events, helping parents find places where they can feel supported and understood.
Because she works both in childcare settings and in community-based cultural projects, she has a unique perspective on the real challenges and voices of families raising children today.
In this interview, we spoke with Chikako about her journey, her motivations, and the future she hopes to create through ToriCote.
石垣千賀子 Chikako Ishigaki / Childcare Professional
Born in Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture, Chikako has worked in childcare for 14 years, including nine years in public nursery schools and leadership positions at small-scale childcare centers. Throughout her career, she has supported the growth and development of more than 230 infants and young children.
Drawing on over 23 years of experience in choral singing and music, she began producing and directing concerts for babies and young children with the belief that all children should have easier access to high-quality music experiences.
Through collaborations with local musicians and artists, she creates communities where parents can connect with others and overcome feelings of isolation often experienced during child-rearing. On Instagram, she also shares parenting advice and offers support to families, helping create opportunities for parents and children to thrive together.
Music as a “Third Place”
Could you tell us about your connection to Ichinomiya and music?
Chikako: Since my first year of junior high school, I have been a member of the Forum 21 Children’s Choir in Ichinomiya. Even today, I continue to support the choir as an alumna.
For me as a student, the choir was a “third place” beyond home and school. Having a space where I could simply be myself, surrounded by people outside of my usual environment, was incredibly important.
Through Forum 21, I also had opportunities for international cultural exchange through music. When I was in high school, I traveled to Australia on a concert tour and sang together with local choir members.
We introduced Japanese songs, learned songs from them, and shared music together. Even though we couldn’t always communicate perfectly with words, I clearly remember how naturally we connected through music.
More recently, we also had the opportunity to perform with a choir from South Korea.
Every time I make music with people from different countries and cultural backgrounds, I am reminded of music’s unique power to bring people together.
Even when cultures and languages are different, singing together naturally closes the distance between people. I believe those experiences continue to influence my work with ToriCote today.
Why I Expanded My Activities Beyond the Nursery School
You continue to work as a childcare professional today. What inspired you to start activities outside the nursery school setting?
Chikako: Childcare environments can actually be much more closed-off than many people realize. Parents often have concerns or questions that they find difficult to discuss with teachers.
At the same time, we live in an age where parenting information is available everywhere on social media. While access to information can be helpful, too much information can also increase anxiety.
I think content shared from a parent’s perspective is valuable, but as a childcare professional, I sometimes encounter advice online that may not be entirely appropriate or safe.
That’s why I have always felt there should be more opportunities to share professional perspectives on child development and practical parenting approaches in an accessible and supportive way.
This desire led me to learn more about social media communication and begin sharing my own thoughts and experiences.
At the same time, I felt that online communication alone wasn’t enough. I wanted to create real-world spaces where parents and children could gather together.
I imagined events where families could sing, play, and connect naturally outside of nursery school settings.
Around that time, I met Miho Hakamada and Rikako Kawano, and I realized there were others in Ichinomiya who shared similar hopes and values.
That is how we began working together through Cocoro Family, ToriCote’s international family support initiative, with the shared goal of creating safe and welcoming spaces for families.
New Experiences for Families Through ToriCote
What kinds of experiences do you value most in ToriCote’s events?
Chikako: At ToriCote, we place great importance on creating opportunities for parents and children to enjoy meaningful experiences together—experiences that may be difficult to find in everyday life.
For example, we have organized interactive play sessions, storytelling accompanied by live music, sensory play using edible paints and colorful jelly materials, and parent-child exercise programs led by professional instructors.
Activities that stimulate the senses are known to have significant benefits for children’s development, but many parents are not familiar with the reasons behind these benefits.
During our events, parents often tell us:
“I didn’t know my child would react like this.”
“I never realized my child could do that.”
“I saw a side of my child that I don’t usually see at home.”
Seeing their surprise and excitement reminds me how valuable these experiences can be.
One particularly memorable example was a storytelling session for children aged 0–2 accompanied by live music. The children became deeply immersed in the story and listened with remarkable focus.
Many parents commented,
“I didn’t know my child could concentrate for so long!”
Moments like these make me feel that ToriCote is gradually bringing unique cultural and educational experiences into the lives of families.
Creating Concerts Where “It’s Okay to Cry”
Is there a ToriCote event that has left a particularly strong impression on you?
Chikako: One event that remains especially meaningful to me was ToriCote’s first large-scale hall performance in January 2026:
“Connecting Family Concert: My Journey Begins on the Seine.”
For many families with young children, attending a concert can feel surprisingly intimidating.
Parents often worry:
“What if my child starts crying?”
“What if we disturb others?”
Because of these concerns, many families give up opportunities they would otherwise love to experience.
As a childcare professional, I have heard these concerns countless times.
That is why, for this concert, we intentionally created an atmosphere where crying was welcome and being energetic was perfectly okay.
Children cry. Children move around. Those behaviors are completely natural.
Rather than treating them as problems, we wanted to create a space where children could simply be themselves.
It was my first time working closely with professional musicians to produce a concert, and I felt nervous right up until the performance began.
But when I saw children moving freely, reacting naturally to the music, and parents watching with relaxed and happy expressions, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
This concert was also built around the theme of discovering different cultures and expanding one’s view of the world.
Together with Miho Hakamada, we spent many hours discussing how music and storytelling could gently introduce children to diverse cultures and perspectives.
After the concert, parents shared comments such as:
“It was the first time in a long time that I could relax and truly enjoy music.”
“I’m so grateful to have shared this experience with my child.”
Through this experience, I once again realized how important it is for communities to provide places where families can simply be themselves and connect with others.
Through ToriCote, I hope we can continue expanding these kinds of “third places” for families.
The Future We Hope to Build Through ToriCote
What would you like to achieve through ToriCote in the future?
Chikako: Parenting can often feel lonely. Yet sometimes, simply talking with someone or sharing a small moment of understanding can make a tremendous difference.
That is why I want our team at ToriCote to continue creating spaces where people can connect and feel safe within their community.
I would love to see parents naturally forming friendships through our events and saying to one another, “Let’s meet again.”
If those small connections continue to grow, they can become something truly meaningful.
And I hope that one day those connections will extend beyond our local community, linking people with different cultures and countries around the world.
A Message to Our Readers
Finally, do you have a message for those reading this interview?
Chikako: I hope to continue creating places where parents feel comfortable being themselves and where they can realize, “I’m not alone.”
It is so important for both children and adults to have spaces where they can simply be accepted as they are.
I would be delighted if ToriCote could become that “third place” for many people, and if the relationships formed here continue to grow into new communities and friendships.
We would love to welcome you to one of our events. Please feel free to join us and become part of the ToriCote community.
