Glossary · Every stage
相談sōdanconsultation
What it means
The key words are 相談 (sōdan, a consultation or request for advice), 面談 (mendan, a meeting with a teacher) and 教育委員会 (kyōiku iinkai, the board of education that runs your ward's or city's public schools).
Guides that use 相談
- Who to call when something goes wrong at school: the ladder inside the school, and the lines outside itAcross all stages
- Bunkyo ward hoikuen application for April 2027: the window is announced as a planHoikuen and daycare
- Bunkyo ward: choose "place now" or "leave can be extended" on the daycare formHoikuen and daycare
- Kita ward hoikuen application for April 2027: deadlines, including applying before birthHoikuen and daycare
- Shibuya ward hoikuen application for April 2027: the first-round scheduleHoikuen and daycare
- Setagaya: a child of foreign nationality enters a ward elementary school by applicationElementary school entry
- Renrakuchō (連絡帳): phrases for absence, lateness and everyday notesElementary school, grades 1–3
- Special-needs routes in Tokyo: the support room, the class, and who decidesElementary school, grades 1–3
- The grade-6 'which junior high?' survey: what each answer means for the wardElementary school, grades 1–3
- When a child stops going to school: the places, the attendance rule, and who decidesElementary school, grades 1–3
- School information sessions (説明会): booking, what happens, and what to askChūgaku juken: the decision
- Night junior high when a child is already 15 and has not finished compulsory schoolHigh-school entrance exams
- Tokyo private high schools: first-choice recommendation, 併願優遇, and the December consultationHigh-school entrance exams
- Religion, food and dress at a Japanese school: what MEXT tells schools to consider, and how to askAcross all stages
- School help in your language: the Tokyo and Kanagawa linesAcross all stages
- Yokohama: where to ask if you are worried about your child's development at schoolAcross all stages
Related words
- 面談 (mendan)meeting with a teacher
- 教育委員会 (kyōiku iinkai)board of education
- 就学相談 (shūgaku sōdan)school-entry consultation
Tools and pages for this stage
What to do next
- Find your child's path: the free juken check
Free, no sign-in. The route that fits, what it costs and the deadlines on the way.
- See the season pass
Verified dates and fees for every school, a reminder before each deadline, unlimited questions.