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Articles about Me, Rio the Clown ( Clown Tama )!
Ryohei Tamai, age 24, who is a qualified nursery school teacher, has been performing as a clown at nursery schools and kindergartens. “It is so much fun to be around kids,” said Tamai. He started performing as a clown as Clown Tama half a year ago. He belongs to the Man’s Child Care Worker Network in Hyogo. When he was four years old, Tamai met Ichiro Harasaka, advisor of that organization, and he dreamed of becoming a good teacher like him. Tamai majored in child care at his college and graduated with a qualification as a nursery and kindergarten school teacher. Tamai went to Australia to learn about child care, where he met a clown and learned some magic. He came to know that in Europe clowning is a widely recognized way to warm up the hearts of people. He told the children an Australian folktale using picture cards ( kamishibai ). Tamai said, ” I want to communicate with children, even if I can’t talk to them.” He tries to share in their joy, but tries not to frighten the children who seem to be uncomfortable with a clown. He uses different approaches depending on the reactions and expressions of the children. Tamai said, “A clown is a person who can communicate with kids more freely than a nursery school teacher. Laughter cheers you up. So, I’d like to become a specialist who draws smiles from my audience.”