Best Japanese Language Schools in Japan by City (2026–27 Fees)

Best Japanese language schools in Tokyo

Tokyo has the most language schools and the widest choice of universities, vocational schools and part-time work, and the highest rents: JASSO’s 2023 survey puts international students’ average rent in Tokyo at ¥57,000 a month, against ¥41,000 nationally. The seven schools below range from university-entrance specialists to small, communicative schools; three of them are in the neighbouring Takadanobaba and Shin-Okubo areas of Shinjuku ward.

In this section: KCP International Japanese Language School · Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute (SNG) · KAI Japanese Language School · ISI Japanese Language School, Tokyo Ikebukuro Campus · Akamonkai Japanese Language School, Nippori Campus · The Naganuma School (Tokyo School of Japanese Language) · Human Academy Japanese Language School, Tokyo Campus

KCP International Japanese Language SchoolKCP地球市民日本語学校

Good fit if you are aiming for a Japanese university or graduate school and want a school built around getting in.

Founded in 1983 and in Shinjuku since 1993, KCP has room for 760 students and 47 teachers. Both of its courses lead to higher education: a MEXT-designated university preparatory course (it makes applicants with fewer than 12 years of schooling eligible for Japanese universities) and an advanced academic Japanese course, each with EJU and JLPT preparation and help with university applications. It lists designated-school recommendation places at Hosei, Toyo, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Kwansei Gakuin and Takushoku, among others (places vary by year), and has a library of about 5,000 books with up to 100 study seats.

Fee year: No year is printed on KCP’s fee sheet; the PDF is dated 27 August 2026 and was still the live file on 12 October 2026. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• KCP publishes whole-course totals only, not a first-year figure or a tuition payment schedule. Textbooks are extra, at cost, and tuition is paid by bank transfer (no cards or payment apps).
• Applications go mainly through KCP’s overseas partner offices in the USA, China, Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia. There is no India office and no published deadline, so ask the school directly how to apply from India.
• January entrants need about A2 (JLPT N4) plus around 300 hours of study. Which course length starts in which month is our reading of the fee sheet and the school’s March-only graduation.

Housing: No dormitory and no housing prices are published for the student-visa course; the school says it gives full support with housing and visas.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute (SNG)新宿日本語学校

Good fit if you want a long-established school with its own teaching method and a direct application with no agent needed.

Teaching since 1975, SNG has about 700 students from more than 60 countries and teaches with its own visual “Ezoe method” and its VLJ (Visual Learning Japanese) app. The daily course offers a General (communication) or an Intensive (higher-education) programme with 920 class hours a year, a MEXT-designated college preparatory course, and upper-level business, tourism-business and Japanese-teacher-training classes. You can apply directly with an online screening form and an online interview, and pay through Flywire (cards accepted) or by bank transfer.

Fee year: 2027: the figures match SNG’s Student Visa Application Guide for April 2027 admission (published September 2026); the web table itself is undated. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The processing fee is non-refundable and is paid after acceptance, before the school files with immigration. After the COE you pay the registration fee, a year’s tuition, textbooks and insurance in one sum. National Health Insurance is extra.
• The website says April applications open in November; the guide says October. Both say the intake closes once it is full.
• Takadanobaba is a student district next to Waseda University. SNG lists designated-school recommendations including Hosei and Kokugakuin (90%+ attendance needed).

Housing: SNG runs its own “Takada Dormitory” share houses with private rooms, at ¥45,000 to ¥65,000 a month depending on the house, utilities extra, plus a ¥35,000 non-refundable application fee, a deposit of ¥45,000 or ¥65,000 and fire insurance of ¥10,000 a year; they are 18 minutes’ walk from school, minimum stay 3 months. Partner options include Sakura House (from ¥67,000 a month), Kyoritsu dormitories with weekday meals (from ¥61,050) and homestays (¥6,050 a day with two meals, plus a ¥30,800 arrangement fee).

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

KAI Japanese Language Schoolカイ日本語スクール

Good fit if you want small classes, digital teaching and a very international class mix.

Founded in 1987, KAI has taught on iPads since 2015, with its own KAI⋮DLS materials, an in-house learning platform and flipped classes. Classes have at most 16 students, with 20 lessons of 45 minutes a week across 8 levels over two years (CEFR A1 to B2), for students heading for work, university or vocational school in Japan, or the JLPT. The student body is unusually Western: in 2025, 51% of its General Course students came from Europe and 23% from North America.

Fee year: 2027 fee table. A 2026 table is also published, and KAI doesn’t say whether the year means the enrolment date or the term date, so the 2027 figures are shown as fees only for the July and October 2027 intakes; for the next April and January intakes they are for reference. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• On the 2027 table, every year-one item a visa student pays adds up to ¥1,195,000 (our sum of the published items). KAI’s visa page still quotes the 2026 screening fee of ¥30,000; the 2027 table says ¥50,000.
• You must bring an iPad (2021 or later, 64 GB or more) or rent one for ¥48,000 a year (limited stock). The 2-year total and how many terms you prepay after the COE are not published.

Housing: No school dorm. KAI arranges housing for a ¥20,000 fee: share houses from ¥36,000 a month, homestays at ¥5,390 a night with breakfast and dinner, and short-term furnished apartments from ¥4,500 a day. KAI puts the share houses and short-term apartments (and the economy hotels it also lists) about 30 minutes or more from school, and gives no travel time for homestays.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

ISI Japanese Language School, Tokyo Ikebukuro CampusISI外語カレッジ（ISI日本語学校 池袋校）

Good fit if you want an academic course at a MEXT-certified school, with a selective class for top universities.

Opened in 2002, the Ikebukuro campus has room for 400 students from 49 countries (average age 27 in April 2026). Its Academic Japanese course runs over 8 levels for students heading to universities, graduate schools or vocational schools, with a Top University Preparation Class (entry by selection exam), electives in EJU, JLPT, the graduate-school pathway, conversation and job hunting, and an on-campus prep school (JUQ). An ISI-group vocational college shares the building, so you can mix with Japanese students and sit in on trial vocational classes.

Fee year: 2027–2028 academic year (intakes from April 2027). Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• ISI labels Ikebukuro prices “tax-excluded” without saying what tax, if any, is added, so confirm before budgeting. ISI also warns that later-year tuition may rise.
• ISI’s admission page still mentions 150 hours of prior study, but for students enrolling from October 2026 immigration needs a test certificate (such as JLPT N5) or the school’s interview.
• The first January intake on these fees is January 2028; the January 2027 deadline has passed.

Housing: ISI offers student dormitories in Tokyo (Toda, Musashi-Seki, Shakujii-Koen and Shimo International Houses, plus partner dorms), priced per 3-month term: double rooms from ¥245,000 and single rooms from ¥315,000, though that single is in a partner dorm and singles in the named houses start at ¥342,000. Guest houses, weekly apartments and homestays are priced only for short stays of 2 or 4 weeks (a homestay costs ¥219,000 for 4 weeks in the 2027 academic year), so for a full term ISI prices only its dormitories. An airport pickup to the dorm costs ¥23,000.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Akamonkai Japanese Language School, Nippori Campus赤門会日本語学校 日暮里校

Good fit if you want a large school with many class levels, cheap school-owned dorms and job-hunting support.

One of Tokyo’s largest schools, Akamonkai has room for 2,250 students (1,800 at the Main Campus, 450 at Nippori) and has taught more than 30,000 students from about 100 countries since 1985. Classes of 10 to 20 run in the morning or the afternoon, about 800 hours a year, with JLPT preparation, optional EJU classes, university and graduate-school advice, and job-hunting support that includes a Business Employment Class and company internships.

Fee year: New fee sheet effective from April 2027. The older table on the course page (first year ¥845,000) applies only up to the January 2027 term. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The ¥25,000 screening fee is not refunded even if the visa is refused. The rest (¥890,000) is paid once the COE is issued; the 2-year course’s second payment of ¥820,000 falls about 11 months after admission.
• The fee sheet covers the Main and Nippori campuses together and doesn’t say how students are assigned. Ask whether textbooks are included in the General Course.

Housing: School-owned dorms at ¥40,000–60,000 a month plus ¥5,000–10,000 for utilities, all within 40 minutes of school door to door; two are women-only. Rooms have Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a fridge, a bed and a desk; showers, toilets, kitchen and laundry are shared, and you bring (or order from the school) your own bedding.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

The Naganuma School (Tokyo School of Japanese Language)学校法人長沼スクール 東京日本語学校

Good fit if you want a long-running school in central Tokyo with separate business and academic tracks.

Established in 1948, with more than 30,000 graduates, Naganuma says it is the only Japanese language school to have received the Japan Foundation Award. About 500 students from some 40 countries choose between three long-term tracks: Japanese for Interactive Communication, Business Japanese (JLPT N2 and above, for working in Japan) and Academic Japanese for Higher Education, with optional EJU subject classes (¥52,000 each) and graduate-school exam preparation (¥100,000). From 2027, intermediate and higher classes run in the morning and beginner classes in the afternoon.

Fee year: Academic Year 2027 (enrolment from April 2027; the January intake on these fees is January 2028). Long-term fees are tax-exempt. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• You pay ¥720,000 at enrolment (application, admission and six months), then ¥490,000 every six months. Fees rose for April 2027 entrants: the 1-year total went from ¥1,095,000 to ¥1,210,000.
• Academic Japanese starts only in April (1 or 2 years) or October (1.5 years); the 1.5-year course needs JLPT N3 or above at entry (N2 preferred for university, N2 for graduate school).
• The ¥30,000 application fee is requested only after the school reviews your application and health form, and it is non-refundable. The April 2027 deadline falls in mid-October 2026, so contact the school if you are late.

Housing: The school’s only dorm is women-only: single rooms in Musashi-Kosugi at ¥84,000 a month including utilities and Wi-Fi, with a one-off ¥84,000 residence payment; each room has its own bath, toilet and mini kitchen, about 50 minutes from school with no train changes. Otherwise the school lists third-party residences and share houses.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Human Academy Japanese Language School, Tokyo Campusヒューマンアカデミー日本語学校 東京校

Good fit if you want university-entrance support with a large recommendation network.

Part of one of Japan’s largest Japanese-language school groups, the Tokyo campus opened in October 1991 and has room for 2,440 students. Its College Prep courses (2 years down to 1 year 3 months) prepare students for universities and graduate schools, with designated-school recommendations from more than 100 universities, junior colleges and vocational schools and career counselling twice a week; a 2-year practical course for working in Japan becomes the job-preparation course (就職準備, shūshoku junbi) from April 2027. In its June 2026 disclosure, the school’s outcome ratio under the immigration standard (students who went on to study in Japan, switched to a work visa or proved A2+ Japanese) was 92.3%, against a required minimum of 70%.

Fee year: FY2027 (intakes from April 2027 to January 2028). The web fee table has no year label but matches the school rules for 2027. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The selection and admission fees are never refunded. Application periods are published as “may vary by year” and are listed against the College Prep course lengths, so ask whether the job-preparation course uses the same ones; Japanese-level requirements differ by intake but aren’t published.
• Applicants need 12+ years of schooling and, per the FAQ, must be within 5 years of graduating from their last school.
• Courses from April 2027 are awaiting MEXT accreditation, and the school says plans may change.

Housing: No school-owned dorm. The school introduces partner student dormitories on request, and a real-estate agency for apartments.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Best Japanese language schools in Osaka

Osaka is Japan’s other giant city, with plenty of part-time work and lower rents than Tokyo (JASSO’s average for the Kinki region, which includes Osaka and Kyoto, is ¥40,000 a month). Its schools cluster around Umeda, Namba, Honmachi and Tennoji, and the six below include two MEXT-certified schools, one of them a university-preparation centre run by the government-affiliated JASSO.

In this section: Human Academy Japanese Language School, Osaka Campus · Meric Japanese Language School · ECC Kokusai College of Foreign Languages, Japanese Language Course · JASSO Osaka Japanese Language Education Center · Osaka YMCA Gakuin (Osaka YMCA Japanese Language School) · OBKG Japanese Language School (Osaka International School of Culture and Language)

Human Academy Japanese Language School, Osaka Campusヒューマンアカデミー日本語学校 大阪校

Good fit if you want the Human Academy system in central Osaka, including a short 9-month July course.

Human Academy’s founding campus (April 1987) is also its largest, with room for 2,800 students from about 40 countries. Lessons are action-oriented and learner-centred, with peer learning, and levels are reassessed every three months. Progression support includes interview classes, progression fairs, alumni workshops and recommendations from more than 100 universities, junior colleges and vocational schools; in its June 2026 disclosure, its outcome ratio under the immigration standard was 96.2%.

Fee year: FY2027 (intakes from April 2027 to January 2028); one fee table covers both Human Academy campuses. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Published totals leave out the ¥27,500 selection fee, and the selection and admission fees are never refunded.
• The 9-month July course is offered only in Osaka and, like every course from April 2027, is awaiting MEXT accreditation.
• The published application windows are listed against the College Prep course lengths, so ask whether the 9-month and job-preparation courses use the same ones (for July, 1 November – 28 February).

Housing: No school-owned dorm. The school introduces partner student dormitories on request, and a real-estate agency for apartments.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Meric Japanese Language Schoolメリック日本語学校

Good fit if you want all four intakes and very cheap school-arranged dorms in central Osaka.

Meric’s Japanese school opened in April 1992 and has been run by the school corporation Meric Gakuen since 2015. Its June 2026 outcomes report counts 396 course completers and 412 students who met the immigration outcome standard, 64 of whom withdrew before completing (an outcome ratio of 89.6%); of those 412, 303 went on to higher education in Japan and 63 changed to a work status. There are EJU and JLPT classes after the regular 20 hours a week, recommendation links with more than 30 universities, culture classes such as tea ceremony and flower arrangement, and multilingual staff; the school history records a liaison office in Delhi opened in 2013.

Fee year: Undated on the school’s page. The same figures have been there since at least February 2024, so confirm this year’s fees. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Tuition is published per whole course only, payable after the COE is issued. Once paid, fees are not refunded for any reason, so read the terms before you pay.
• Textbooks are extra, at cost; the totals include one year of personal liability insurance after arrival. The website is old and its English pages are rough translations, so check the Japanese fee page too.

Housing: School-arranged dorms (Melody Heim Yuhigaoka, Kida, Blair House), all within 20 minutes of school by bicycle, rooms normally shared by two. You pay ¥150,000 upfront (move-in ¥30,000, refundable deposit ¥30,000 and three months’ rent), then ¥30,000 a month plus utilities and ¥2,000 for management and water. Minimum stay 3 months, and you can’t choose the dorm.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

ECC Kokusai College of Foreign Languages, Japanese Language CourseECC国際外語専門学校 日本語学科

Good fit if you want to study at a vocational college alongside Japanese students, with a strong university-entrance record.

This is ECC’s student-visa Japanese programme in Osaka, run as a department of a vocational college (founded 1984) of the Osaka-born ECC group; it is separate from the ECC Japanese Language Institute, whose Nagoya school is further down. The department has 640 places, and across the colleges of its school corporation, Yamaguchi Gakuen, more than 1,500 international students from 48 countries and regions study alongside about 2,280 Japanese students. Classes run 25 lessons a week of practical “Dekiru Nihongo” plus JLPT and EJU preparation, and textbooks are included in tuition. For its 2009 to March 2026 graduates, the college counts 329 acceptances at national and public universities (including Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe) and 570 at leading private ones.

Fee year: 2027 entry (application guidebooks dated May and June 2026). The website’s HTML fee page still shows the older 2026 fees. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Fees rose for 2027 entry (screening ¥20,000 → ¥30,000, admission ¥60,000 → ¥80,000, events ¥20,000 → ¥28,000), and the “other” fees are planned amounts that may rise with prices. The screening, admission and safety fees are non-refundable.
• If your last school was a high school, you need a Japanese test result (such as JLPT N5, J.TEST F or NAT-TEST 5) or a pass in the school’s interview, which can be online. National Health Insurance and the JLPT fee are extra.
• The 2027 course names depend on MEXT certification; if it isn’t granted, entrants join the existing General Japanese Course and can still get student visas.

Housing: No dormitory of its own. Before you arrive the school introduces housing its staff have inspected, at roughly ¥30,000 to ¥80,000+ a month (for example a men-only dorm with breakfast and dinner, and women’s dorms), and staff meet students at Kansai Airport if they land on a weekday, not at night.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• 2027 guidebook in English

JASSO Osaka Japanese Language Education Center日本学生支援機構 大阪日本語教育センター

Good fit if you are set on a Japanese university and want an intensive, government-run preparatory course.

Run by JASSO, the government-affiliated Japan Student Services Organization, the centre grew out of the Kansai International Students Institute (1956) and opened its Japanese school in 1970. It teaches only university preparation: Japanese plus EJU subjects in a humanities stream (English, maths, geography and history, civics) or a science stream (English, maths, physics and chemistry or biology), in classes of 20 or fewer with homeroom teachers, its own textbooks and mock exams. Recent graduates entered Osaka University, Okayama, Kanazawa, Shizuoka, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kansai, Kwansei Gakuin, Ritsumeikan and Waseda, among others.

Fee year: April 2027 entry (overseas guidelines, August 2026). The October figures are for October 2026 entry; October 2027 fees have not been published yet. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Only for students who intend to enter a Japanese university or graduate school. April entry needs JLPT N4 (or 300+ hours of study), October entry N5 (or 150+ hours).
• Overseas applications must go through a contact person living in Japan who can communicate in Japanese; if you don’t have one, contact the centre first. For many Indian applicants this is the biggest hurdle.
• Everything is paid in one bank transfer with no instalments, and paid fees are largely non-refundable. Part-time work is in principle not allowed (it may be permitted after 3 months with the school’s approval).

Housing: An on-campus dormitory with 54 single rooms of about 9.6 m² (desk, bed, air conditioning, fridge): a ¥20,000 entry fee and ¥30,000 deposit, then ¥26,000 a month plus ¥2,000 for Wi-Fi, with bedding and electricity extra. Rooms are allocated by selection after admission, not everyone who applies gets one, and the admission page says the dorm is currently full.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Osaka YMCA Gakuin (Osaka YMCA Japanese Language School)大阪YMCA学院

Good fit if you want to choose between university preparation and a career-focused course at a MEXT-certified school.

Osaka YMCA, founded in 1882, has taught Japanese since 1969, and Osaka YMCA Gakuin opened in 1990. It has two departments: university preparation (875 hours a year, April and October intakes, 20 students per class) and practical Japanese for careers (768 hours a year, all four intakes), where a career consultant helps with CVs, entry sheets and interviews; the school reports 55 job placements in FY2024. Recommendation agreements include Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Kobe Gakuin, Otemon Gakuin, Momoyama Gakuin and Osaka Gakuin, plus vocational schools such as Tsuji Culinary Institute (the list changes yearly).

Fee year: Fees effective from April 2025; the guides for April 2026 – January 2027 and for April 2027 onwards print the same figures. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The school prints only whole-course totals (and 1-year course totals), so first-year figures aren’t published. Textbooks are extra (about ¥5,000 a semester), and students who need the preparatory education programme pay ¥60,000 more for intensive lectures.
• Per the FAQ, a sponsor generally needs to show more than about ¥2,000,000 per year of study.
• The guides still offer 150 study hours as an alternative to a JLPT N5/A1 certificate, but immigration now needs a test certificate or the school’s interview, so confirm with the school.

Housing: No school-owned dorm. The school recommends nearby private student residences and sends a housing survey about a month before entry; the 2027 guides list example residences about 13–25 minutes from school at roughly ¥40,000–48,000 a month, for reference only (the English and Japanese guides give different times for the same buildings). Students moving into recommended housing who have no contact person in Japan get an airport pickup.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

OBKG Japanese Language School (Osaka International School of Culture and Language)大阪文化国際学校

Good fit if you want progression or job-hunting support close to Umeda, with an optional private-room dorm.

OBKG’s roots go back to Osaka Kokusai Gakuin, founded in 1985 and in Kita-ku since 1991; it is run by the school corporation Oka Gakuen and has room for 500 students. Its May 2026 disclosure counts 150 course completers: 127 entered Japanese universities or colleges, 14 switched to work visas and 9 proved A2+ Japanese. It offers a Japanese Course for Further Education and a Business Japanese Course backed by a licensed job-placement service, with homeroom counselling, optional evening EJU classes and scholarships of up to ¥120,000 for strong JLPT, EJU or BJT results.

Fee year: Admission Guide 2027 (for April, July and October 2027 entry). Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The English admission page gives different, earlier windows (1 August – 10 October for April, 1 January – 10 February for July, 1 March – 10 April for October) and mislabels the July and October first-year fees. The guide and the Japanese page agree with the table here, but confirm and apply early.
• A ¥30,000 National Health Insurance deposit is collected in advance and refunded after arrival. The screening fee is non-refundable.
• You need 12+ years of schooling, and the sponsor’s bank certificate must show at least the equivalent of US$20,000, with a year of transaction history.

Housing: An optional school dorm (reserve it when you apply): private, furnished one-room apartments about 10 minutes’ walk from school, with water and internet included and electricity at cost. It costs a ¥90,000 dorm application fee plus ¥120,000–171,000 for the first 3 months, then monthly payments.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• Admission Guide 2027 (PDF)

Best Japanese language schools in Kyoto

Kyoto is smaller and calmer than Tokyo or Osaka, with many universities and the deepest culture programmes on this list, and Osaka is close by train when you want big-city jobs. JASSO counts Kyoto in its Kinki rent average of ¥40,000 a month, but one school here estimates Kyoto living costs at no less than about ¥150,000 a month, so budget carefully.

In this section: Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School · Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language (KICL) · Kyoto Japanese Language School (KJLS) · ISI Japanese Language School, Kyoto Campus · ARC Academy Kyoto

Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School京都民際日本語学校

Good fit if you want all four intakes, nationality-balanced classes and inexpensive school-managed rooms.

Founded in 2001, Kyoto Minsai has students from about 50 countries and an approved capacity of 813. Classes are capped at 20, and the school balances nationalities in each one. The Academic course starts in all four intakes, alongside a Business Preparation & Communication course (April and October) and a Japanese Language & Culture course; electives cover the JLPT, the EJU, employment preparation and Specified Skilled Worker tests, and the culture programme includes a tea-ceremony room, a sencha club, speech contests and exchanges with nearby universities.

Fee year: FY2025 Admission Requirements for Group B (the group India falls in), revised April 2025. It was still the only edition on the school’s download page on 12 October 2026, so fees for 2027 intakes could differ. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Indian applicants are in Group B: the sponsor’s annual income and savings must each be at least ¥2 million (¥2.5 million each if you sponsor yourself), with a bank balance certificate above ¥2,000,000.
• The figures assume a single payment and include 10% consumption tax; overseas transfer charges are extra. Unused JLPT fees are refunded at graduation.
• Applicants take an online interview and Japanese exam before paying the screening fee (interview only for the Japanese Language & Culture course). The FAQ still asks for an A1 test (JLPT N5 equivalent) or 150 hours of study, so ask whether the interview can serve as immigration’s A1 confirmation.

Housing: The school manages about 400 apartment rooms. The Group B guide lists an entry fee of ¥50,000, a futon for ¥8,000, single rooms at ¥40,000–48,000 a month and shared rooms at ¥20,000–35,000 (other school documents quote slightly different rents, so check when you book). Rooms are semi-furnished and non-smoking, the earliest you can move out is 6 months after moving in, and staff meet residents at Kyoto Station.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language (KICL)京都文化日本語学校

Good fit if you are drawn to culture or art and want to study on a university campus.

KICL sits inside Kyoto University of the Arts, so its students can use the university’s library, cafeteria, theatre and gallery and join its clubs. It has taught Japanese since 1969 and had 300 students in April 2026 from about 30 countries. Since April 2026 it runs Applied Japanese & Cultural Studies courses (aiming for B2/N1) and a Japanese Language & Culture course (aiming for B1); seminar classes end with research presentations in the university theatre, and electives range from Kyoto culture and calligraphy to business Japanese and an Art University Preparation class (¥160,000 extra).

Fee year: Current fee table for the accredited courses (from April 2026). The course-page table is undated, but the same yearly fees appear next to the 2027 application windows. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Important for Indian applicants: a KICL notice of 1 April 2026 says applicants from countries immigration marks for “careful screening” are accepted only if the financial sponsor (parents or siblings) lives within commuting distance of the school, such as in Kyoto or Osaka. India is not on the exempt list, so this appears to apply to you; ask KICL before applying. KICL is also not signing contracts with new agencies.
• Textbooks are sold separately at the school. Attendance must stay at 90% or above every month.
• Application guidelines and forms are sent on request through the inquiry form.

Housing: Two school dormitories (Matsuya Residence Shugakuin and Pine Field Kitashirakawa) with limited rooms; you apply with your school application, and the rents aren’t published. The school also refers students to partner estate agents and a homestay agency.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Kyoto Japanese Language School (KJLS)京都日本語学校

Good fit if you want a small school with tiny classes and culture and business classes taught with outside experts.

Founded in 1950 to teach missionaries and run today by a public-interest foundation, KJLS is small: room for 130 students, with up to 13 per class at beginner and advanced levels and 18 at intermediate. Intermediate students take a Culture & Art class with outside experts in architecture, dyeing and kimono, ikebana, manga, sake and furoshiki; advanced students take a Society & Business class with visits to Kyoto companies such as Horiba, Murata and Kyocera. The school is near the Imperial Palace and Doshisha University.

Fee year: 2027 Application Guidebook for the April and October 2027 intakes (fee notice dated 28 July 2026). Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• KJLS bills each 6-month term: ¥537,900 for the first term (paid after the COE is approved), then ¥438,900 a term. Tax is included; National Health Insurance (about ¥20,000 a year) is extra.
• Applications close once a class reaches its quota, and the overseas application windows are only about 7–8 weeks long.
• As an MOJ-notified school it can take student-visa students under the transition rules until 31 March 2029, so ask about its MEXT plans if you would study beyond that. The guide puts Kyoto living costs at no less than about ¥150,000 a month.

Housing: Two school-contracted buildings: Luminous Ichijo (one-room with unit bath, ¥47,000 a month plus ¥2,500 for water and garbage, ¥6,000 a year fire insurance and a one-month deposit; 5 minutes from school by bicycle) and Urban Boat 210 (private rooms in shared 2–3-person units, ¥28,000–30,000 a month including water; 10 minutes by bicycle). Homestays and partner estate agents are also available.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

ISI Japanese Language School, Kyoto CampusISIランゲージスクール京都校

Good fit if you want an academic course with a big Kyoto culture programme and all four intakes.

ISI’s Kyoto campus opened in July 2017 and has room for 1,072 students from 56 countries and regions (average age 27 in April 2026). Its Higher Education Pathway (Academic Japanese) course prepares students for the JLPT, the EJU and university entrance, alongside a strong culture programme (maiko, kabuki, kimono, tea ceremony, ikebana, zazen) and a Ritsumeikan University information session. The building has a student lounge, library area, learning commons, career guidance office, café, terrace, Japanese-style room and a prayer room.

Fee year: 2027–2028 academic year: the 2027 school manual’s tuition applies to students enrolled between April 2027 and March 2029. Kyoto prices include tax. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• ISI publishes 6-month (¥577,500) and 1-year (¥1,015,000) prices, not full-course totals, and warns that later-year tuition may rise. Kyoto shares its fee column with Ikebukuro, Takadanobaba and Osaka.
• You pay within about 10 days of the COE, by bank transfer, Flywire or WeChat Pay. The application and admission fees are non-refundable; if the COE is refused, school fees are refunded minus ¥6,000.
• Applications close once capacity is reached. January entrants should be around N5 and able to progress to N4.

Housing: Student dormitories with single or double rooms, furnished, with shared kitchen, bath and toilet, on per-term contracts, from a 13-minute walk to about 40 minutes by foot and train. First-term totals in the 2027 manual (before 10% tax, including entrance, facility and cleaning fees) start at ¥249,000 for a double room. For a single, the manual’s detailed table starts at ¥267,000 (Single B), while its own summary and ISI’s accommodation page say from ¥291,000, so confirm the price. Homestays are priced only for short stays (¥219,000 for 4 weeks in 2027), and a Kansai Airport pickup costs from ¥40,000 one way.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• 2027 school manual (student visa)

ARC Academy KyotoARC京都日本語学校

Good fit if you are heading for an art or design school, or want a one-year culture course in Kyoto.

Part of the ARC Academy group (Tokyo, Shinjuku and Kyoto), the Kyoto school opened in 2006 and has room for 400 students of 30+ nationalities, with English- and Chinese-speaking staff. Teaching focuses on communication (“useful Japanese”), and its graduate list leans towards art and design: Kyoto Seika, Seian University of Art & Design, Musashino Art and Tama Art universities, alongside Ritsumeikan, Osaka University and Kyoto Sangyo. From April 2027 the school offers Academic Preparation, Employment Preparation (for degree holders) and Japanese Language & Culture courses, and its June 2026 disclosure gives an outcome ratio of 94.8% under the immigration standard.

Fee year: 2027 Academic Year Entrance Procedure (April 2027 – January 2028), published July 2026; Kyoto’s fees are exempt from consumption tax. The ¥916,000 first-year total also appears in the school’s own 2026 fee notice. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Textbooks are bought at school each term (for example ¥43,010 over the 2-year Academic course). The second tuition payment is due at the end of the month two months before those lessons start; 6-month instalments are possible with the principal’s approval.
• The selection and registration fees are non-refundable; if you cancel in writing no later than the day before the term starts (the 1st of the enrolment month), all tuition is refunded.
• Some web pages are out of date (one still places the school at Gojo-Karasuma, and the group’s English course page omits Kyoto). Go by the 2027 Entrance Procedure and the Kyoto school’s own site.

Housing: No school-owned dorm; ARC introduces partner housing. For example, Sakura Mansion Imadegawa (single rooms, 5 minutes from Imadegawa Station) costs a ¥50,000 contract fee plus ¥45,000–47,000 rent and ¥5,000 maintenance a month and ¥7,500 fire insurance, about ¥207,500–213,500 for the first 3 months. Homestays through a partner cost ¥5,076 a night with two meals.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• 2027 Entrance Procedure (PDF)

Best Japanese language schools in Fukuoka

Fukuoka is compact, easy to get around and has the lowest rents of the five: JASSO’s 2023 average for Kyushu is ¥29,000 a month. Its schools sit close to Tenjin and Hakata, the two city-centre hubs, or a short train or bus ride away, and two of them run very cheap dormitories of their own.

In this section: Fukuoka Japanese Language School · Fukuoka YMCA Japanese Language School and Fukuoka YMCA Gakuin · GenkiJACS Fukuoka (Genki Japanese and Culture School) · Kyushu Eisu Gakkan International Language Academy · Nishinihon International Education Institute

Fukuoka Japanese Language School福岡日本語学校

Good fit if you want a university-track course in any of the four intakes at a mid-sized school.

Fukuoka Japanese Language School has room for 280 students in 14 classes of up to 20, with morning and afternoon sessions, and students from China, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere. All four courses are university-track (進学, shingaku), with EJU and JLPT preparation, college guidance, kanji support for students from non-kanji countries and help in seven languages. Its FY2025 report counts 180 course completers, 173 of whom went on to universities or colleges in Japan.

Fee year: Fee guide marked “revised April 2026” (2026年4月訂正). Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The English page lists different deadlines (for April, early December) and swaps two course labels; the Japanese and Chinese pages match the table here, but confirm with the school.
• The “other” fees are not itemised, and the full application guidelines online date from 2018, so ask for the current refund rules and the bank balance your sponsor must show.

Housing: The school says it has its own student dormitory with good security; no dorm fees are published.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Fukuoka YMCA Japanese Language School and Fukuoka YMCA Gakuin福岡YMCA日本語学校・福岡YMCA学院

Good fit if you want an established non-profit school whose fees already include materials, activities and insurance.

Fukuoka YMCA (founded 1947) started teaching Japanese in 1982 and took its first full-time student-visa students in 1989. It runs two schools as separate legal entities: the General Japanese course at the Fukuoka YMCA Japanese Language School in central Tenjin, and the College Preparatory course at Fukuoka YMCA Gakuin in Nanakuma. Fees include school materials, textbooks, extracurricular activities, a health check and casualty insurance, and graduates have gone on to Kyushu University, Seinan Gakuin, Fukuoka University, Keio and Chuo, among others.

Fee year: 2027 Admittance Guidelines (June 2026), with the fees revised for entrants from April 2026. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• You pay the screening fee when you apply, the entrance fee and first-year tuition after the COE, and the second year before it starts. The Japanese fee page prints ¥896,500 as the Tenjin payment after the COE, but that figure includes the screening fee; the English page’s ¥866,500 is what you actually pay then.
• Applicants need 12+ years of schooling, to be 18 or older and to pass an online interview. Holders of JLPT N1 or N2 get ¥30,000 off the entrance fee.
• Both schools close early once full; the October 2026 intake closed on 14 May 2026.

Housing: No YMCA dormitory; the school refers students to dorms and apartments. Examples from June 2026: DORMY FUKUOKA in Nishijin, with breakfast and dinner, at ¥77,510 a month plus a ¥101,000 entrance fee, and the Lakeside Corpo Nanakuma apartments at ¥36,550 a month.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• 2027 Admittance Guidelines (PDF)

GenkiJACS Fukuoka (Genki Japanese and Culture School)

Good fit if you want very small classes and one all-in package price, mainly for personal enrichment rather than university entrance.

GenkiJACS has taught in Fukuoka since 2005 and has offered student visas there since 2015. Classes have at most 8 students (9 at peak, for a week at most), with 20 lessons a week over 40 class weeks a year and a communicative focus; the school says the course suits learners studying for personal enrichment rather than mainly for work or university in Japan. It has room for 172 students and plans to admit about 70 for April 2027, mostly from Europe and North America, and every student sits the JLPT, with the test fee covered.

Fee year: Current terms (invoices from 1 January 2026) and the Fukuoka April 2027 application guide (August 2026). All fees include 10% consumption tax. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• GenkiJACS says student-visa support is available only to applicants from selected countries, so ask first whether it accepts applicants from India.
• From April 2027 the school confirms A1 Japanese itself with an online level test and interview, unless a degree exemption applies; under immigration’s rules that exemption doesn’t cover Indian nationals. You must show savings of ¥2,460,000 for the 1-year course (¥3,600,000 for 18 months), with 12 months of history.
• The screening fee is due within 14 days of the invoice and isn’t refundable; everything else is paid in full when the COE is issued, with no instalments. The first period of stay is 6 months, which you then extend.

Housing: No dormitory of its own, but the school arranges homestays, share houses and apartments (¥20,000 arrangement fee). Its guide puts a one-person apartment at ¥50,000–80,000 a month and minimum living costs at about ¥90,000 a month.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• Terms with the fee breakdown

Kyushu Eisu Gakkan International Language Academy九州英数学舘国際言語学院

Good fit if you want a university-preparation specialist with a cheap school dormitory.

Kyushu Eisu Gakkan began in 1951 as a university-prep school for Japanese students, opened its Japanese language school in 1991 and has had a MEXT-designated preparatory course since 1999 (it qualifies graduates with fewer than 12 years of schooling for Japanese universities; the school says it is the only one in Fukuoka). It runs 1.5- and 2-year University Preparation courses and Japanese courses of 1 to 2 years, in half-day classes, for students from about 20 countries including India. Selection combines a written Japanese and English test with a 10-minute interview; outside China it is done online or by document screening.

Fee year: 2024 (令和6年度) application guidelines, the latest edition published as of 12 October 2026, so ask the school for current fees. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Second-year tuition is ¥600,000 for the 2-year University Preparation course and ¥580,000 for the 2-year Japanese course; no full-course totals are printed. Payment is due by the 15th of the month before your term starts.
• If you don’t enter (visa refused or offer declined), everything is refunded except the ¥30,000 selection fee and a ¥30,000 refund handling fee. Scholarships can waive ¥50,000 to ¥600,000 of tuition.
• The school’s web tuition table is older than its PDF guidelines; use the guidelines.

Housing: Nishijin International Dormitory (Sawara-ku; separate buildings for women and men), normally for your first 6 months: a private room is ¥36,000 a month (¥376,000 upfront, covering the entry fee, 6 months’ rent and the deposit), a twin ¥18,000 a month (¥188,000 upfront) and a 4-person room ¥12,000 a month (¥127,000 upfront). Utilities are extra and there are no meals; Wi-Fi is provided.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Nishinihon International Education Institute西日本国際教育学院

Good fit if you want a large university-track school with a compulsory but inexpensive first-6-month dorm and lots of hands-on support.

Opened in 1992 and run by the school corporation Miyata Gakuen, Nishinihon has close to 900 international students in an eight-storey building whose ground-floor cafeteria it shares with its sister vocational college (国際貢献専門大学校, Kokusai Kōken Senmon Daigakkō). Its university-track (進学, shingaku) course runs from 1 year 3 months to 2 years with four intakes a year, EJU and kanji classes, and a special class for national and public universities. Its June 2026 report counts 528 completers, 477 of whom went on to universities or colleges, and staff go with students to immigration and the ward office and help with bank accounts and part-time job applications.

Fee year: Undated fee page; the same school fees appear in the April 2025 application handbook (August 2024), the latest one published. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Everyone lives in the school dorm for the first 6 months, so the total payable after the COE for a shared room (school fees, dorm and set-up items) is ¥1,047,400 in the 2025 handbook.
• Entry rules: 12 years of schooling and no more than 4 years since your last school (the handbook says 5 years and, in principle, age 27 or under); January entrants need N4 or 300 hours. Ask for the current requirements, since the handbook dates from 2024.
• If the visa is refused or you withdraw after paying, the selection, admission and dorm entry fees and the remittance charges are kept.

Housing: Sirius Kaikan (Minami-ku, about 10–15 minutes from school by bicycle), with auto-lock and a 24-hour warden. A shared room costs a ¥36,000 entry fee plus ¥20,000 a month for 6 months (¥156,000), a single room ¥36,000 plus ¥30,000 a month (¥216,000), plus a base utility charge of ¥27,000 (shared) or ¥33,000 (single) for the 6 months.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Best Japanese language schools in Nagoya

Nagoya is the hub of Japan’s manufacturing region, with low rents (JASSO’s Chubu average is ¥30,000 a month) and a smaller international-student scene than Tokyo or Osaka, so more of your day happens in Japanese. The five schools below include the two lowest first-year fees for an April start in this guide.

In this section: ECC Japanese Language Institute, Nagoya · I.C.NAGOYA · Nagoya YMCA Japanese Language School · Nagoya YWCA Japanese Language School · Aichi International Academy (AIA)

ECC Japanese Language Institute, NagoyaECC日本語学院 名古屋校

Good fit if you want a school two minutes from a major station, with three intakes a year.

ECC’s Nagoya school opened in 1992 and has room for 320 students, average age 24; most come from China (about 60%), with Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan at about 10% each and the rest from countries including India. The Japanese Comprehensive Course (日本語総合コース, nihongo sōgō kōsu) runs four 45-minute lessons a day in classes of up to 20, mornings or afternoons, and the school has a library, a health room and a self-study room. ECC doesn’t allow part-time work in your first 3 months.

Fee year: Current fee table (no year printed; the same table is in the January 2026 application guidelines). Fees include tax. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Textbooks are extra, about ¥10,000 a term. The screening, admission and insurance fees are never refunded; tuition is refunded if the visa is refused or you withdraw in writing before the entrance ceremony.
• The sponsor is normally a relative within the third degree, and ECC says the visa process takes about 3–6 months.
• The 2-year course’s second-year fees are ¥820,000.

Housing: No school dorm; ECC introduces partner housing in Nagoya: student dorms with two meals (except Sundays), whose price is not published (ask through the school’s contact form), share houses at ¥43,000–73,000 a month, apartments from ¥40,000, and homestays (apply 2 months ahead).

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

I.C.NAGOYAアイ.シー.ナゴヤ

Good fit if you want a long-running school near Nagoya Station with all four intakes and its own dorm.

I.C.NAGOYA grew out of the Sony Language Laboratory’s Nagoya school (1982), began full-time Japanese teaching in 1986 and has been in the same group as GenkiJACS since 2021. Its Comprehensive Japanese Course has 20 lessons a week over 38 weeks a year, in classes of up to 20, with EJU maths and science available, and its June 2026 disclosure puts 87.1% of completers within the immigration outcome standard. The school also hosts GenkiJACS’s small-class General Japanese Course on student visas (1 year ¥1,380,000, 18 months ¥1,980,000) and an April-only Arts & Japanese course.

Fee year: Current course-page cost table (all fees include tax; the school calls them indicative, confirmed at application). For multi-year courses only the first year is billed first, but that bill isn’t itemised. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The school’s terms page shows an older itemisation (tuition ¥680,000 a year) that conflicts with the course page (¥700,000 a year), so confirm the current bill.
• The FAQ asks sponsors to show at least ¥1,350,000 for a 1-year course and still mentions 150 study hours, which immigration no longer accepts on its own.
• The selection fee is never refunded; if no COE is issued, the admission fee and other charges aren’t collected.

Housing: A school dormitory, which the school says is only for students without a guarantor, 10 minutes’ walk from school and Nagoya Station: single rooms ¥55,000 a month or twin rooms ¥35,000, plus a ¥50,000 refundable deposit, a ¥20,000 entrance fee, ¥15,000 for a futon and a ¥10,000 common fee per 6 months. The minimum contract is 6 months (¥375,000 for a single or ¥255,000 for a twin, excluding the deposit).

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Nagoya YMCA Japanese Language School名古屋YMCA日本語学院

Good fit if you want one of the lowest-cost two-year courses in this guide.

Run by the Nagoya YMCA’s school corporation, the school teaches four 45-minute periods a day, 40 weeks a year, in a building with classrooms on four floors and a library corner. Levels run from A2 (N4) to B2/C1 (N2/N1), with 15 main-text periods and 5 skills periods (including JLPT preparation) a week; the upper levels use the テーマ別 (tēma-betsu) workbooks that one of the school’s teachers co-wrote. Its Japanese guidelines put its enrolled students in April 2025 mainly from Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Nepal and Myanmar (10–20% each).

Fee year: “Ver. 2026” student-visa guidelines (June 2025); the website shows the same figures. Fees include tax. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• On top, every visa student pays student mutual-aid insurance: ¥12,000 (2 years), ¥9,000 (1.5 years) or ¥6,000 (1 year). The second-year materials fee may change with the textbooks.
• The Japanese guidelines send the application, the ¥20,000 selection fee and the invoice after the COE through an agent or introducer. The English guidelines and website say a guarantor or agent hands in the application with the fee at the school, and applicants with no guarantor in Japan should email the school directly. The two published April deadlines conflict, so aim for the earlier one.
• If the visa is refused, the admission fee, tuition and materials are refunded; after entry, admission and tuition are not.

Housing: No housing information is published; ask the school or your agent.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Nagoya YWCA Japanese Language School名古屋YWCA学院日本語学校

Good fit if you want a one-year course with small classes and the lowest first-year fees in this guide.

Nagoya YWCA has taught Japanese since the late 1970s and has run a full-time course since 1985; it became MEXT-certified in 2025. It offers two one-year courses: Japanese & Japanese Culture (from A1, aiming for B1) and Job-Preparation Japanese (from about N3, aiming for B2), with at most 15 students per class and 760 class units a year. Students have come from more than 70 countries, and you need to be able to communicate in English or Chinese as well.

Fee year: Tuition sheet created in October 2025 (no year printed); the same table is in the overseas application guidelines. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• Because both courses last one year, the school says your period of stay can’t be extended to continue there.
• Applicants from immigration’s “careful screening” countries, which include India, also have a sponsor interview. The Job-Preparation course needs about N3 at entry, plus a 4-year degree if you want to work in Japan straight after.
• The YWCA doesn’t allow part-time work in your first 3 months, and estimates living costs at about ¥100,000 a month including rent.

Housing: No school dorm; the school introduces private student residences.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)

Aichi International Academy (AIA)愛知国際学院

Good fit if you want a university-track course with low-cost school-run dorms within a 10-minute walk.

AIA’s founder started a Japanese school in Nagoya in 1986 and founded Aichi International Academy in 1989, merging the two in 1992. The school has had its own building in Shinsakae since 1996 (now two buildings with 15 classrooms, a library and a Japanese-culture room) and counted more than 6,000 graduates by FY2022. Its student-visa course is university-track (進学, shingaku), with JLPT preparation and progression guidance in the core classes and paid optional EJU and Specified Skilled Worker test classes, and the school has published nearly 20 study books of its own, including EJU mock-exam sets. Its May 2026 disclosure counts 216 course completers, 206 of whom (95.4%) met the immigration outcome standard, 191 by going on to higher education in Japan. Two-year students can also enrol, without an entrance exam, in a correspondence course at Aichi Sangyo University’s junior college and graduate from both at the same time.

Fee year: Undated on the school’s Japanese course page; the same figures have been there since at least March 2026. Fees checked on 12 October 2026; confirm them on the official fee page before you pay.

Worth knowing

• The English page and the other translations still show the older table that the Japanese page carried in October 2024: tuition ¥660,000 a year and miscellaneous fees of ¥60,000 (2 years) or ¥50,000 (1.5 years), with no totals. The table here follows the current Japanese page, so confirm your invoice with the school.
• You pay the selection fee when you apply and the admission and miscellaneous fees within 2 weeks of the immigration result; the English page says the first year is paid in full before you enrol. Second-year tuition (¥726,000, or ¥363,000 for the last 6 months of the 1.5-year course) is due before you renew your visa; the first period of stay is 1 year 3 months.
• Entry needs 12 years of schooling. The school publishes no Japanese-level requirement (immigration’s A1 rule applies anyway), no minimum savings for your sponsor and no refund rules, and its only tuition figure for the junior-college option is an approximate ¥320,000 a year, in a cost chart that still uses the older language-school fees, so ask before you pay.

Housing: School-run dormitories in seven buildings, all within 10 minutes’ walk of school, with air conditioning, bedding, a kitchen, fridge, washing machine, unit bath, desk and Wi-Fi in every room, ready from the day you arrive. The Japanese dorm page lists shared rooms for 2–4 students at ¥22,000–37,000 per person a month and single rooms at ¥32,000–36,000, plus a move-in payment of two months’ rent (the English page calls it a deposit) and a ¥20,000 move-out fee; utilities are extra (a flat ¥8,000 a month in Building No. 3). The English page lists a few different rents, including a ¥47,000 single.

• Official website
• Official fee page
• Photos (school gallery)
• Dorm rooms and rents (Japanese)