The panda bears are hard at it. Up to their elbows in flour, they vigorously work their wooden rolling pins, then use cookie cutters to stamp out heart shapes from the flattened dough. Soon, a sugary aroma drifts down the halls.
This is no ordinary day at the cookie factory. It's Valentine's Day at Tokyo Union Church Preschool in Harajuku, where some 50 children, mostly with international backgrounds, are eased into education through play in a warm, supportive atmosphere.
" 'Gentle hands, a kind heart.' We use this expression a lot at this preschool," said Dina LaRose, a Canadian who has taught at Tokyo Union for the last four years.