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School in Japan, stage by stage. Each article checked against an official Japanese source.
Arakawa ward: April 2027 daycare rounds, with the result days
荒川区 令和9年4月の保育園申込スケジュール
Arakawa ward (荒川区) prints the April 2027 licensed-daycare schedule with both era dates and western dates. Forms are available from 1 October 2026 on the site…
Arakawa only荒川区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Bunkyo ward: choose "place now" or "leave can be extended" on the daycare form
文京区 「入所保留通知希望」の取扱いの廃止（令和7年4月入所より）
Bunkyo ward (文京区) no longer accepts a daycare application whose aim is only to be put on hold. From April 2025 entry, every application has to pick one of two…
Bunkyo only文京区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Bunkyo ward: the April 2027 daycare window is announced as a plan
文京区 2027年4月入所の申請期間（予定）
Bunkyo ward (文京区) has not published the detailed April 2027 daycare guide yet. On the licensed-daycare top page, read on 7 October 2026, the ward says the…
Bunkyo only文京区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Chuo ward: April 2027 licensed daycare is two rounds in November and February
中央区 令和9年4月の認可保育所申込
Chuo ward (中央区) takes the licensed-daycare application itself. That covers a licensed daycare (認可保育所), the daycare part of a certified children's centre…
Chuo only中央区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Edogawa ward: April 2027 daycare rounds depend on the child's class age
江戸川区 令和9年4月入園の申込日程
Edogawa ward (江戸川区) splits the April 2027 daycare application (令和9年4月) by class age and by round. The order the form arrives does not affect the result. The…
Edogawa only江戸川区Verified Oct 7, 2026
How licensed daycare, kindergarten and the free-fee rule fit together
子ども・子育て支援制度のなかの保育と幼児教育
Licensed daycare in Japan sits inside a national funding system, and each city or ward still runs its own application. The Children and Families Agency…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Itabashi ward: April 2027 daycare rounds close on different days
板橋区 令和9年4月入所の一次・二次申込
Itabashi ward (板橋区) prints the April 2027 daycare schedule (令和9年4月入所) in its kindergarten and daycare guidebook. The class is the child's age on 1 April. A…
Itabashi only板橋区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Kita ward: April 2027 daycare deadlines, including applications before birth
北区 令和9年4月の保育園入園申請
Kita ward (北区) is taking April 2027 licensed-daycare applications at the counter, by mail and online. The page says the counter gets crowded from about…
Kita only北区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Koto daycare points: the fiscal 2027 base, adjustment and tie-break tables
江東区 保育の利用基準表（基準指数・調整指数・優先順位）令和9年度
Koto ward (江東区) ranks licensed-daycare applications by points. The fiscal-2027 guidebook (令和9年度江東区保育園等入園のしおり) prints the whole table on pp. 36–38. A ward…
Koto only江東区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Koto ward: April 2027 daycare application windows and this year's point changes
江東区 令和9年度保育園等の申込期間と指数の変更
Koto ward (江東区) has published the April 2027 daycare round (令和9年度). The dates below are the ones on the ward's application page. A place is not offered just…
Koto only江東区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Meguro ward: April 2027 daycare deadlines, and the new rule for families who live outside
目黒区 令和9年度の保育施設申込締切と区外申込
Meguro ward (目黒区) prints deadlines for April 2027 daycare (令和9年4月). The guide does not say which day the April window opens. Use the deadlines below, and…
Meguro only目黒区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Minato daycare points: how the ward ranks April 2027 applications
港区保育利用調整基準（基準指数・調整指数・優先順位）
Minato ward (港区) ranks licensed-daycare applications by a household total called the index (指数, shisū). The ward's fiscal-2027 guide (保育園入園のごあんない 令和9年度版)…
Minato only港区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Nakano ward: two rounds for April 2027 daycare, and who is carried into the second
中野区 2027年4月認可保育所の一次・二次募集
Nakano ward (中野区) runs two rounds for April 2027 licensed daycare because there are many applications. The second round has fewer open places, because it…
Nakano only中野区Verified Oct 7, 2026
No daycare place: what Hello Work needs before it extends childcare-leave pay
保育所等に入所できない場合の育児休業給付金の支給対象期間延長
If the daycare round says no, many parents ask their employer to extend the childcare-leave benefit (育児休業給付金, ikuji kyūgyō kyūfukin, the leave pay from…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Ota ward: April 2027 daycare applications, and the mail deadline is earlier
大田区 令和9年4月入園の申請期間
Ota ward (大田区) is taking April 2027 daycare applications (令和9年4月, 1次利用調整). The page does not publish a separate second-round date for April. Ask the ward if…
Ota only大田区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Setagaya hoikuen points: how the ward ranks daycare applications
世田谷区 保育施設の入園選考と指数
In Setagaya (世田谷区), when more families apply to a licensed daycare (認可保育園, ninka hoikuen) than there are places, the ward ranks every application by points…
Setagaya only世田谷区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Shibuya ward: the April 2027 first-round daycare schedule
渋谷区 令和9年度4月一次募集のスケジュール
Shibuya ward (渋谷区) has published the first round for April 2027 daycare (令和9年度4月一次募集). This page does not publish a second round.
Shibuya only渋谷区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Shinagawa ward: April 2027 daycare deadlines, without a published opening day
品川区 令和9年4月の入園締切
Shinagawa ward (品川区) published the Reiwa 9 selection schedule on 7 October 2026. The table gives deadlines. It does not say which day each April round opens.…
Shinagawa only品川区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Taito ward: April 2027 daycare rounds, and the mail deadline is earlier
台東区 令和9年4月保育園入園の申込
Taito ward (台東区) is taking applications for licensed daycare, the long-hours part of a certified children's centre, and community-type care, for April 2027…
Taito only台東区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo-certified daycare (ninshō hoikusho): direct contract, 13-hour days, a fee cap
東京都認証保育所とは
A Tokyo-certified daycare (認証保育所, ninshō hoikusho) is not the same as a licensed daycare (認可保育所, ninka hoikusho). It is Tokyo's own system, created because…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Unlicensed daycare and company-led daycare are not the ward's licensed round
認可外保育施設と企業主導型保育事業
If the licensed round says no, families often look at two other names. The Children and Families Agency's survey of unlicensed care explains what those names…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Yokohama daycare ranking: ranks A to I, then adjustment points
横浜市給付認定及び利用調整に関する基準（ランク・調整指数）
Yokohama (横浜市) does not add up points the way most Tokyo wards do. It first sorts every family into a rank (ランク), A to I, then uses adjustment points (調整指数…
Yokohama only横浜市Verified Oct 7, 2026
Yokohama: April 2027 daycare rounds, childcare leave, and what a refusal means
横浜市 令和9年4月の保育所等利用申請
Yokohama (横浜市) uses one city schedule for every ward. The fiscal 2027 guide (令和９年度 保育所等利用案内) says the application is online in principle, until 23:59 on the…
Yokohama only横浜市Verified Oct 7, 2026
Kindergarten, daycare, a certified children's centre, and a small local programme
幼稚園・保育所・認定こども園・地域型保育
Families meet four names that sound alike. The Children and Families Agency's overview of the child-and-childcare system is the national description. Your…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Private elementary entrance (o-juken): what one school's April 2027 round asked, and when
成蹊小学校 2027年度新1年生 募集要項
Sitting a private elementary entrance exam is what families call お受験 (o-juken, "the exam"). It is a choice, not a step every family takes. This article walks…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Sumida ward public kindergartens: the November 2026 application for April 2027
墨田区立幼稚園 令和9年度4月入園
This page is Sumida ward's (墨田区) public kindergarten round (区立幼稚園), not the licensed daycare application. The two use different desks and different dates.
Sumida only墨田区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Toshima ward public kindergartens: apply from 1 to 23 October 2026
豊島区立幼稚園 令和9年度の申込み
Toshima ward (豊島区) opened applications for its public kindergartens (区立幼稚園) on 1 October 2026. This is not the licensed daycare round.
Toshima only豊島区Verified Oct 7, 2026
University of Tsukuba Elementary School: April 2027 entry is a lottery, an assessment, then a second lottery
筑波大学附属小学校 令和9年度 入学児童募集
A national elementary school (国立小学校, kokuritsu shōgakkō) is attached to a national university. The University of Tsukuba Elementary School (筑波大学附属小学校)…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
In a Japanese school the grade follows the child's age, not the old school's grade
学年は4月1日の年齢で決まる
When a child joins a Japanese elementary or junior high, the grade is set by age. The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children says children…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Meguro: the school entry notice for April 2027 is due in mid-December 2026
目黒区 令和9年4月入学の就学通知書
Meguro ward (目黒区) mails a school entry notice (就学通知書, shūgaku tsūchisho) for every child of the age to start elementary or junior high school on 1 April 2027.…
Meguro only目黒区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Minato ward: the preschool-entry health check is at your address's school
港区 令和9年度就学時健康診断
Minato ward (港区) has published the preschool-entry health check (就学時健康診断, shūgakuji kenkō shindan) for children due to start school in April 2027. You go to…
Minato only港区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Nerima after-school club: apply again for April 2027, even if your child already attends
練馬区 令和9年度学童クラブの一次申請
Nerima ward (練馬区) requires a new application for its after-school club (学童クラブ, gakudō kurabu) even if your child is already in a club or already waiting. The…
Nerima only練馬区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Public school tuition is free; supplies and lunch can be helped if the board agrees
就学援助と公立学校の授業料
The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children says tuition at public elementary schools, junior highs, the elementary and junior-high departments…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Setagaya after-school club: April 2027 applications open online on 2 November 2026
世田谷区 令和9年度 新BOP学童クラブ入会申請
Setagaya's after-school club is called the shin-BOP club (新BOP学童クラブ, shin-BOP gakudō kurabu). The ward's page for April 2027 entry (令和9年4月の入会) sets these…
Setagaya only世田谷区Verified Oct 7, 2026
Setagaya: a child of foreign nationality enters a ward elementary school by application
世田谷区 外国籍のお子さんの区立小・中学校への就学申請
In Setagaya (世田谷区), a child of foreign nationality who wants to attend a ward elementary or junior high school needs an application to the Board of…
Setagaya only世田谷区Verified Oct 7, 2026
The Japanese school year starts in April and the long break is summer
学年は4月に始まり、長い休みは夏休み
A class newsletter (学級だより) and a holiday guide (長期休業のしおり) use the Japanese school year. The Ministry of Education's guidebook says the year starts in April…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
What one Tokyo ward school asked new first graders to prepare: randoseru, hat, indoor shoes
文京区立礫川小学校 入学のしおり（入学までに用意する物）
Your child's school gives you its own list at the briefing for new parents (新入学説明会, shin-nyūgaku setsumeikai). Until then, here is what one ward school…
Bunkyo only文京区Verified Oct 7, 2026
A PTA duty note is a request from the parents-and-teachers group
PTAと保護者の活動
A PTA note (PTA当番) is from the group the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes: parents and teachers working together so that school runs…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
A sports-day notice is the school's athletic event, not a test result
運動会・体育大会のお知らせ
A sports-day notice (運動会, undōkai, or 体育大会, taiiku taikai) is the event the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes as sprints, relays, ball-toss…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
An excursion notice is a trip out of school, and the paper names the day
遠足・校外学習のお知らせ
An excursion notice (遠足, ensoku, or 校外学習, kōgai gakushū) is the trip the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes as leaving the school for an…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
An open-class notice invites you to watch a lesson
授業参観・学級懇談会
An open-class notice (授業参観, jugyō sankan) is the visit the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes: parents come to school and see the lesson and…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Applying to a Tokyo public combined junior high: the online form, the school report and the exam ticket (April 2027)
都立中高一貫校の出願書類とインターネット出願（令和9年度）
Tokyo's public combined junior-and-senior high schools (都立中高一貫校, officially 都立中等教育学校 and 都立中学校) take applications for April 2027 mostly online (インターネット出願…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Children clean the classroom, and clubs are for those who want them
清掃と部活動
Two things in a Japanese school day surprise families who are new to them. The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children describes both as the…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Clothes, indoor shoes and the things a school actually regulates
服装・持ち物・上履き
A "please prepare these things" note (持ち物, mochimono) is the school's own list. The Ministry of Education's guidebook does not publish a national shopping…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Health-room papers and infection absence: when your child must stay home, and what to hand in after
ほけんだより・学校感染症と出席停止
The school nurse's office (保健室, hokenshitsu) sends home health papers: a health newsletter (ほけんだより or 保健だより, hoken-dayori) and notices about illnesses. The…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Home visits, parents' meetings and the one-to-one conference
家庭訪問・保護者会・個人面談
Japanese schools set aside times for parents and teachers to talk. The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children describes three of them.…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Renrakuchō (連絡帳): phrases for absence, lateness and everyday notes
連絡帳の書き方と例文
The 連絡帳 (renrakuchō, contact notebook) is a small notebook that travels between home and school in your child's bag. The teacher writes notes in it, and you…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The class newsletter: where the dates, the things to bring and the money are hiding
学年だより・学級だよりの読み方
A grade newsletter (学年だより, gakunen-dayori) or class newsletter (学級だより, gakkyū-dayori) arrives about once a month. It reads like a friendly letter, but it is…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The emergency pickup drill: only a registered adult can collect your child
引き取り訓練のお知らせの読み方
This notice is about a drill for what happens after a big earthquake: the school keeps the children, and an adult comes to collect each one. The drill is…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The grade-6 'which junior high?' survey: what each answer means for the ward
進路希望調査（小6）と中学校入学の手続き
In grade 6, the elementary school may send a survey on where your child will go next (進路希望調査, shinro kibō chōsa, "future-path survey", or a similar title). It…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
The school-lunch allergy form is a doctor's sheet, and each school writes its own rules
学校給食の食物アレルギー対応と学校生活管理指導表
A food-allergy form from a Japanese school is not a menu and it is not a diagnosis. The Ministry of Education's page on school-lunch allergies points schools…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The summer-holiday paper: homework, the first day back, and the supplies to fix before it
夏休みのしおり・学年だより夏休み号の読み方
Before a long holiday, the school sends a guide. It may be a booklet (夏休みのしおり / 冬休みのしおり, natsuyasumi no shiori / fuyuyasumi no shiori, "summer / winter…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The yearly school health check is required, and the notice names the tests
定期健康診断
A health-check notice (健康診断, kenkō shindan) is the check the Ministry of Education's school guidebook says schools must give regularly, because the law…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
What a school-lunch notice is asking you to do
給食の時間と給食費
Many elementary and junior-high printouts are about lunch (給食, kyūshoku). The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children starting school describes…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Chūgaku juken (中学受験) in Tokyo: the main routes into junior high
中学受験の主なルート（東京都）
In Tokyo most children move from their public elementary school to the local public junior high (公立中学校) with no exam. 中学受験 (chūgaku juken) means sitting an…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Juku spending in grades 4 to 6: what the ministry's fiscal 2023 survey shows
学習塾費（小学4〜6年）令和5年度子供の学習費調査より
Japan's Ministry of Education (文部科学省) runs a survey of what parents spend on each child's education, the 子供の学習費調査 (kodomo no gakushūhi chōsa, survey of…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
School information sessions (説明会): booking, what happens, and what to ask
学校説明会の歩き方（予約・当日の流れ・質問例）
Private junior highs explain themselves to families at a school information session (学校説明会, gakkō setsumeikai). Tokyo's association of private junior and…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Keimei Gakuen's international-student entry for April 2027: who may apply, and the interview parents join
啓明学園中学校 2027年度 国際生入試の受験資格とプレインタビュー
Keimei Gakuen Junior High (啓明学園中学校, Akishima, Tokyo) is a private school that runs an international-student entry (国際生入試, kokusaisei nyūshi) alongside its…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Sitting several rounds in February (併願): one school's April 2027 guidebook as a worked example
併願と複数回受験の組み方：広尾学園中学校 2027年度生徒募集要項の例
Many private junior highs in Tokyo run several exam rounds in early February, and families often apply to more than one school or round. Applying to several…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The University of Tokyo's foreign-school route is not the junior-high exam, and it has traps
東京大学 外国学校卒業学生特別選考の落とし穴
Choosing an overseas or international curriculum can change a later university application. This article is only the University of Tokyo's own question page…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Toho Girls' returnee entry for April 2027: who counts as a returnee, and what the essays and interviews ask
桐朋女子中学校 2027年度 帰国生対象特別入学試験の出願資格・作文・面接
Each private school decides for itself who counts as a returnee (帰国生, kikokusei). This is one school's April 2027 definition, from Toho Girls' Junior High…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo private junior highs: applications from 10 January, exams from 1 February
東京の私立中学入試 出願は1月10日以降、選抜は2月1日以降
Tokyo's association of private junior and senior highs (東京私立中学高等学校協会) publishes the earliest dates its member schools may use. A school can be later. It…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo public combined junior highs for April 2027: who may apply, and the exam days
令和9年度 都立中高一貫校の応募資格と日程
Tokyo's public combined junior-and-senior highs (都立中高一貫校) and metropolitan junior highs admit children who are not already in a junior high. The board's 11…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo public combined schools, April 2027: the aptitude test, the school report and the waiting list
令和9年度 都立中高一貫校の適性検査・報告書・志願理由書・繰上げ合格
On the general track, Tokyo's ten public combined junior-and-senior high schools (都立中高一貫教育校) use an aptitude test (適性検査, tekisei kensa) and the elementary…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
High-school tuition support has to be applied for, and non-Japanese students file on paper
高等学校等就学支援金の申請
Japan's high-school tuition support (高等学校等就学支援金, kōtō gakkōtō shūgaku shienkin) is not paid unless someone applies. The Ministry of Education's packet for a…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo private high schools: first-choice recommendation, 併願優遇, and the December consultation
東京の私立高校入試 推薦入試・併願優遇・入試相談
Tokyo's association of private junior and senior high schools (東京私立中学高等学校協会) explains the two ways most private high schools in Tokyo admit students: a…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo private high schools: national support plus Tokyo's top-up, and which residence statuses qualify
私立高等学校等授業料軽減助成金（都の制度）
If your child goes to a private high school and you live in Tokyo, two separate payments can reduce tuition:
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo public high schools, April 2027 entry: how report-card points and the exam add up
都立高校入試の調査書点（内申）と学力検査の比率（令和9年度）
Tokyo's Board of Education has published the rules for entering a metropolitan high school (都立高校, toritsu kōkō) in April 2027. In the main February round…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo public high schools, April 2027 entry: the January recommendation round
都立高校の推薦に基づく選抜（令和9年度）
Tokyo metropolitan high schools (都立高校, toritsu kōkō) fill part of their places in January, before the written exam, through a selection based on…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Tokyo public high schools: the April 2027 selection for students who arrived in Japan recently
在京外国人生徒等対象の入学者選抜（令和9年度 都立高校）
Tokyo's metropolitan high schools run a separate selection for students who need Japanese-language support (在京外国人生徒等対象の選抜, zaikyō gaikokujin seito tō taishō…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Eiken dates and fees for an individual applicant in the 2026 session list
英検 個人申込の日程と検定料（2026年度）
Eiken (英検, the English proficiency test run by the Eiken Foundation) publishes three sessions a year for people who register themselves. The page read on 7…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
If you leave Japan, tell the school or the board before you go
帰国・出国の前に学校へ相談する
The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children says that if you will leave Japan, including to return to another country, you should consult the…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
If you think your child is being bullied, the school has to look into it
いじめ防止対策推進法で学校がすること
Japan's bullying-prevention act (いじめ防止対策推進法) is posted by the Ministry of Education. It defines bullying (いじめ, ijime) as an act, including online, by another…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Japanese-language lessons at a public school: the special curriculum and how to ask for it
日本語指導が必要な児童生徒の「特別の教育課程」
A public elementary or junior high school in Japan can teach Japanese to a child who is not yet at home in the language as part of the child's timetable.…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Kanji Kentei paper test: the February 2027 session and fees
漢検 公開会場（個人受検）の検定日・受付期間・検定料
A child can take the Kanji Kentei (漢検, Kanken) on paper at one of the foundation's public venues (公開会場, kōkai kaijō) by registering as an individual. Levels 1…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Kanji Kentei: which level matches which school year
漢検 各級のレベル・対象漢字数・合格基準
The Kanji Kentei (漢検, Kanken, Japan Kanji Aptitude Test) is run by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation (日本漢字能力検定協会). It has twelve levels. Each level…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Moving house inside Japan: tell the school before you file the move
国内転学の手続き
If you move inside Japan and the child has to change public schools (転学, tengaku), the Ministry of Education's guidebook lists this order. It also says to…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Yokohama: where to ask if you are worried about your child's development at school
横浜市特別支援教育総合センターの就学相談・教育相談
If you are worried about how your child is learning or getting on at school, Yokohama's board of education has one place to ask: the Special Needs Education…
Yokohama only横浜市Verified Oct 7, 2026