I consider myself very fortunate to have a Smith’s School of English Franchise in Kotoen, Nishinomiya. This very famous and well-established upper-class neighborhood is full of educated and cultured people who have achieved a certain degree of success and peace in their lives. 
It is a pleasure to work and do business there and I’m looking forward to expanding my operation in 2009.
The Smith’s School of English Franchise in Kotoen is now 18 months old under the wings of Heidi and myself and it is time to send out a special message to the students there and all who are considering joining in the future. Students at Smith’s Kotoen are coming from a wide area and we congratulate and recognize everyone on their loyalty and commitment to come to lessons regularly.
A large percentage of students come by car and it is very fortunate for us that there are several convenient parking options in the area. The best choice is the validated parking lot CO-OP on Nakatsuhamasen, just 75 meters from the school. Another good place is the Fuji Supermarket parking lot across from the school location. By rail, most students come from Nigawa, Sakasegawa and Takarazuka-Minami Stations all of which are fine residential neighborhoods in the prosperous cities of Nishinomiya and Takarazuka.
The Smith’s School in Kotoen is very conveniently located for students coming from Nigawa and Sakasegawa Stations, but English lessons are not the only reason to come to Kotoen. There are also a great variety of interesting and unique restaurants and cafes in the area, just steps from the school. After meeting up at one of these popular local establishments, many students make the trip over to us by bicycle. Nearby restaurants specialize in traditional Japanese food as well as foreign cuisine of outstanding quality. Food from countries such as France, Italy, India, Korea, Thailand and Indonesia are all well represented here. There is also a very interesting modern restaurant specializing in organic food and vegetarian dishes, something which is quite unusual and highly sought after in Japan these days, and is standing-room only on some days when legions of young girls head down from the University.
One cafe focuses on fine, home-brewed siphon coffee, another offers a variety of special teas from India and Sri Lanka and a third boasts 25cm-high parfaits made from their very own home-made ice cream! You have to try this to believe it!
Before or after your lesson, why not try lunch or afternoon tea at one of the following:
Lalu (Indian) Ho Fame (Modern Organic) Cafe Creek (Siphon Coffee) Isara (Thai) and Verita (Italian) http://verita-web.com
All of them are very popular, provide excellent quality and personalized service for the reasonable prices and come with my whole-hearted recommendation! I look forward to seeing you at one of them soon!
Take care!
Martin Werner Zander, Partner – Smith’s School of English
マーティン・ワーナー・ザンダー
Owner, Smith’s School of English Kotoen Nigawa Sakasegawa Nishinomiya
月謝制のスミス英会話 甲東園校 仁川 逆瀬川 西宮市
http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/kotoen.shtml
Owner, Smith’s School of English Fukushima Umeda Osaka
月謝制のスミス英会話 福島校 梅田 大阪市
Martin,
A wise ice hockey goaltender once said “only the lucky get good, and only the good get lucky”. Obviously your hard work and good spirits have brought you good luck and I’m envious of the international neighbourhood in which your school is located. I love food of all varieties and will have to make a trip to your area sometime soon for a taste of “Kotoen” cuisine.
Your students are equally lucky!
Edward, SSE Ohtsu
Martin,
Sounds like Kotoen is a great place for your school. You are a great neighbor too to introduce those places to others via this post. Smith’s School of English is the best place to study in Nishinomiya and just about anywhere in Japan due to the efforts of owners and their teachers. What a breath of fresh air it is to attend a school where the teachers and owner really care about the students and also play a mutually respectful role in their community. I always enjoy your posts. TEAM: It is a great concept!
Al, SSE Okamoto
Edward and Al –
Thank you both so much for those nice comments.
Martin
Martin,
Wow, Kotoen sounds like a great place, not only for your school but also to go out to eat. The 25-cm parfait sounds fantastic!
I wish you and Heidi all the best with the school in 2009.
Derek
SSE Tsukaguchi
Martin,
Nice article. I think its important to connect with your fellow local merchants. It builds trust, as they know you also have a vested interest in the well-being of the community, and this in turn results in benefits for your business and theirs. I especially like to spend time with the smaller local merchants as they can be an invaluable source of information on what has happened, is happening, and is predicted to happen in the community.
Alex