A friendly orientation to childcare and education for foreign families in Tokyo: licensed daycare, kindergarten, free public schools, and international options. We point you to the right official door.
Moving to Tokyo with children can feel overwhelming, but the good news is that the city has a full childcare and school system that is open to foreign families too. This guide is a map, not a manual: it explains the main options at a high level so you know what exists and where to go. Your ward office and local board of education are the best first stops to get a list of what is available near you and to sort out any certification you need; depending on the option, you then apply either through the ward, to the board of education, or directly to the school.
There are a few different paths for younger children. The most common are licensed daycare (認可保育園, ninka hoikuen) and kindergarten (幼稚園, yochien). Licensed daycare is full-day care designed for families where the parents work or cannot provide daytime care; you apply through your ward office, which also issues the certification of childcare need, and places are limited, so it can be competitive. Kindergarten is more education-focused, usually shorter hours, and open to families regardless of whether parents work; for kindergarten you generally apply directly to the school rather than at the ward office. Tokyo also has certified centres that combine both (認定こども園) and a range of unlicensed or smaller options, including English-speaking nurseries.
Japanese public elementary school (小学校) starts the April after a child turns six and runs six years, followed by three years of junior high (中学校). Public schools accept foreign children who wish to enrol, and tuition and textbooks are free; families pay for items like school lunch, supplies, and activities. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirms that foreign children are welcome and that you arrange enrolment through your local municipality, handled by its board of education. International schools are a paid alternative that teaches in English or another language and follows a non-Japanese curriculum; you apply to them directly, and fees vary widely, so check each school directly.
Your first stop is your ward office (区役所) once your address is registered. For daycare, ask the childcare or children-and-families section, which takes daycare applications and issues the certification of childcare need; for kindergarten, the ward can point you to nearby schools, but you apply to the kindergarten directly. For public school, contact the local board of education (教育委員会), which assigns a school based on your address. Many wards offer multilingual support or a childcare consultant. If you have questions about the school system, admissions, or school life, the Tokyo Metropolitan Education Consultation Center offers consultations in English, Chinese, and Korean on Friday afternoons (0120-53-8288).
