If you are planning to study Japanese in Tokyo, The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language（长沼学校东京日本语学校）is one of the city’s long-established language schools, operating in Shibuya since 1948. This guide pulls together what an international applicant needs to know — the courses, entry requirements, published costs and the application support — from the school’s official website at naganuma-school.ac.jp, accessed 5 August 2026. The school’s own pages are the only source used, so everything below describes what the school states about itself; it is not a comparison with any other institution.
The Naganuma School at a Glance
The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language was founded by Naoe Naganuma, who established The Institute for Research in Linguistic Culture in 1947 and opened the Tokyo School of Japanese Language the following year. The school first stood in Kanda Misaki-cho and later moved to its present address in Shibuya. Its profile page states that the school has roughly 100 teachers and 20 office staff, about 500 students, and a student body drawn from approximately 40 countries; the chairman’s message mentions a network of more than 30,000 graduates.
The school is approved by the Governor of Tokyo, its Preparatory Education Course is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and it is registered as an Application Agent School for the Tokyo Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice. Its profile also notes that The Naganuma School received The Japan Foundation Awards, which the site says makes it the only Japanese language school to have received that award.
Location and Campus Access
The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language is based at 16-26, Nampeidai-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0036, in a quiet residential area a few blocks from Shibuya’s commercial centre. The nearest stations are Shibuya Station (12 minutes on foot) and Shinsen Station South Exit (7 minutes on foot). From Narita Airport the site lists the Narita Express at about 80 minutes, the Keisei Skyliner via Nippori at about 70 minutes, and the Airport Limousine bus at 75-120 minutes; from Haneda Airport it lists the Keikyu Line and Tokyo Monorail routes at about 40 minutes and the Airport Limousine or Keihin Kyuko bus at 30-60 minutes.
Japanese for Interactive Communication
The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language’s core course covers practical Japanese for daily life, everyday and social topics, and specialised fields of interest, with an emphasis on communication and expression skills. It is recommended for students who want practical, correct Japanese; who need Japanese for everyday life in Japan; who want to learn about Japanese culture through the language; or who studied Japanese at home and want to upgrade their level.
Enrolment conditions: applicants must have completed high school or higher education. Student visa holders must have studied Japanese for at least 150 hours; other applicants must be able to read and write hiragana and katakana. Classes run 5 days a week, with 45-minute lessons × 4 per day, in either morning (9:00-12:30) or afternoon (13:30-17:00) sessions, though the school notes it cannot always guarantee the session you request. Levels run from beginner to advanced — beginner and intermediate classes each have 2 levels and advanced classes have 4. Class size is capped at 15 students.
Course length depends on visa status: student visa holders can enrol for 1 year, 1.5 years or 2 years, while other students can study for 3 months or more. Courses start in January, April, July and October; the 1.5-year course starts in October only. Each school term includes a field trip or project, and advanced-level classes offer optional activities such as history, tea ceremony, cooking, manga, films, honorifics training and photo essays. Career support is available on request.
University Preparation Course
For students aiming at Japanese universities, graduate schools or vocational schools, The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language offers a University Preparation Course that trains students for the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) and the JLPT, and supports entrance-exam preparation through guidance on higher-education activities and interview practice. Optional foundation subjects (mathematics, social science, natural sciences) cover college entrance requirements, and individual tutoring covers academic and career counselling plus interview practice.
There are two programmes. Program A (Preparatory Education Curriculum) combines Japanese in the morning with foundation subjects such as English and mathematics in the afternoon; for students with fewer than 12 years of schooling, completing it compensates for one year of high school and qualifies them to enter Japanese higher education. Program B offers Japanese in the morning only, with foundation subjects available in the afternoon for an additional fee. Students not in the Preparatory Education Curriculum can also take afternoon foundation subjects for extra fees.
The course runs 5 days a week for 1, 1.5 or 2 years, with morning Japanese lessons (45 minutes × 4) and one or two afternoon foundation lessons; in the 1.5- and 2-year programmes the afternoon classes run for one year only. Daily hours are 9:00-12:30, with some classes held in the afternoon. Enrolment is in April (1-year and 2-year programmes) and October (1.5-year programme). Japanese language classes are capped at 15 students.
Admission conditions: completion of secondary education (e.g. high school) or higher. Applicants planning postgraduate study must hold a bachelor’s degree and have a clear research theme; pre-review may be required to confirm the degree is approved in Japan. The school publishes expected Japanese levels at admission by month and course length: for April entry on the 1-year course, N3 or higher for vocational school, N2 or higher for university and postgraduate; for April entry on the 2-year course, N5 or higher for all three; for October entry on the 1.5-year course, N3 or higher for vocational school and university and N2 or higher for postgraduate. It also runs mock exams — JLPT twice a year and EJU seven times a year — plus interaction classes with university students and Japanese culture experience classes.
For graduate-school applicants there is a separate Lecture for Graduate School Preparation: a one-year afternoon class held once a week (90 minutes), starting in April and finishing the following March, open to students at intermediate (JLPT N2 equivalent) level or above who have completed an undergraduate degree. The tuition fee for current Naganuma students is 100,000 yen per year; for non-students the total is 164,000 yen per year (44,000 yen enrolment fee plus 120,000 yen tuition).
Business Japanese Course
The Business Japanese Course at The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language is designed for students who want to work for Japanese companies or find employment in Japan after graduating. Admission requires graduation from university or college, and depending on the institution the Japanese Immigration Services Agency may need to confirm the qualification. The course level is advanced (JLPT N2 equivalent) or higher. Classes run 5 days a week, 9:00-12:30, with 45-minute lessons × 4 plus career support sessions; duration is 1 year for student visa holders and 3 months or more for other students. Enrolment starts in April, July, October and January, and classes are capped at 15 students.
The course is built around four units (BJ-E to BJ-H), each lasting 3 months, and covers job-search skills (resume writing, self-analysis, interview techniques, company visits), intercultural skills (Japanese culture studies, intercultural management), basic social skills (case studies, current social issues, presentations) and business Japanese (honorifics, phone calls, handling claims and problems, meetings and briefings). Career support includes job-offer information and job-hunting activities, interview coaching and resume guidance, in-campus career fairs and coordination with recruitment agencies. Instructors include staff with business backgrounds plus visiting Japanese businesspeople and trainers from recruitment agencies.
Other Programmes: Online, Private Lessons and JLPT
Beyond the three main courses, The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language offers an Online Course, Private Lessons and a JLPT Preparation Program. Private lessons cost 11,100 yen per 90 minutes or 7,400 yen per 60 minutes, with an additional 11,000 yen enrolment fee for first-time students and 5,550 yen per extended 45-minute lesson. The JLPT Preparation Program costs 13,000 yen per term (13 lessons, twice a week, 13:30-15:10), with an additional 22,000 yen enrolment fee for students who are not already at the school. Note that the school’s FAQ states it does not support student-visa applications for the short-term program, private lessons or the JLPT Preparation Program.
Published Fees
Fees for The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language are published on the school’s Fees page for each course; all figures below are from the site as accessed 5 August 2026 and are subject to change.
For Japanese for Interactive Communication, the published totals are: 1-year program (820 hours) 1,095,000 yen; 1.5-year program (1,230 hours) 1,552,500 yen; 2-year program (1,640 hours) 2,010,000 yen; Single Term (3 months / 205 hours) 330,000 yen; and a 4-week program (about 75 hours) 183,040 yen. These totals bundle an enrolment fee, application fee, facilities fee, teaching-materials fee and tuition. For example, the 1-year program breaks down as 150,000 yen enrolment, 30,000 yen application, 45,000 yen facilities, 40,000 yen materials and 830,000 yen tuition. The Single Term program is not eligible for the discounted commuter pass.
For the University Preparation Course, the totals including foundation-subject fees are: 1-year (940 hours) 1,145,000 yen; 1.5-year (1,350 hours) 1,602,500 yen; 2-year (1,760 hours) 2,060,000 yen. Totals without foundation subjects match the interactive communication course figures (820 / 1,230 / 1,640 hours at 1,095,000 / 1,552,500 / 2,010,000 yen). Foundation subjects are available from April to November at 25,000 yen each — a flat 25,000 yen covers the science set (mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, one to four subjects) or the humanities set (social science and mathematics, one or two subjects), and entrance-exam English is also 25,000 yen.
For the Business Japanese Course, the 1-year program (820 hours) totals 1,128,600 yen including a special session fee of 33,600 yen per year, and the Single Term (3 months / 205 hours) totals 338,400 yen including 8,400 yen per term.
Payment terms, per the FAQ: single-term programs are paid in advance in one lump sum; courses of one year or longer are paid six months in advance at enrolment and every six months after that. Textbooks are included in the tuition. The school also publishes a refund regulation and accepts international payments through Flywire.
Scholarships and Awards
The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language offers its own Naganuma Scholarship — 100,000 yen per six months for 20 students a year, applied for each school term — alongside scholarships from external organisations. Eligibility generally requires strong academic performance, good attendance and attitude, and evidence of financial need. External scholarships listed on the site include: JASSO (application in April, from April for one year, 48,000 yen per month for University Preparation Course Program A students or 30,000 yen per month for others, 0-7 students); the Takayama International Education Foundation (application around December, from the following April for one year, 130,000 yen per month, 0-2 students, for students from Asia); the Kyoritsu International Exchange Scholarship Foundation (application around November, 60,000 yen per month, 0-1 student, for students from Asia); and the LSH ASIA Scholarship (application in July, August-December, 20,000 yen per month, 0-1 student, for students from Asia). The school also grants a Principal Award and a Perfect Attendance Award at the end of each school term.
Accommodation and Living Costs
The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language runs a dormitory for women — the Naganuma School Dormitory for Ladies — at Musashi-Kosugi Station, about 50 minutes from the school (roughly 20 minutes riding time) with no complicated transfers. The published fee is 84,000 yen per month for a single room, a lump-sum residence payment that includes management fees, utilities and internet. Rooms are fully furnished with Wi-Fi, a single bed, bedding, air conditioning, refrigerator, desk and chair, a separate bath and toilet per room, a mini kitchen (IH stove) and a closet, plus self-locking doors, a stationed apartment manager and laundry facilities.
The accommodation page also introduces agencies for international residence halls, guest houses and share houses, and general rental properties, and advises students to visit properties in person and review contracts carefully. For living costs in Tokyo, the school’s FAQ gives a general range of 80,000 to 150,000 yen per month including rent, food and utilities. Students enrolled in courses of one year or more can receive a commuter-pass discount certificate of approximately 40% between the school and the station nearest their residence; single-term students are not eligible.
Application Process and Student Visa Support
The application flow at The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language takes roughly six months for student visa holders, so early contact is recommended. The school describes the steps as: make an inquiry and receive an explanation of the procedures; prepare the required documents about 5-6 months before enrolment; submit the admission and Certificate of Eligibility documents about 4 months before enrolment (the school then applies to the immigration office); receive the application result and take a web test about 1-1.5 months before enrolment, at which point the school sends an invoice; make the payment and receive the Certificate of Eligibility and a letter of admission; apply for the student visa at the embassy about a month before enrolment; and finally enter Japan and enrol.
The required documents listed as examples include the application for admission, a statement of purpose, a pledge, face photos (4cm × 3cm, taken within the last 3 months), a passport, graduation certificates and academic transcripts from the last education, certificates of enrolment or prospective graduation where applicable, the latest Japanese exam results or a certificate of 150+ hours of Japanese study, and financial supporter documents such as a statement of financial support, proof of relationship with the applicant, a certificate of deposit balance, a certificate of employment and proof of tax payment and income for the last year. The school notes that required documents differ by country and should be confirmed with the school.
Applicants without a student visa are also welcome — the school accepts short-term (tourist) visas, working holiday visas and other statuses, and runs a separate, shorter procedure for them. Students who want only the short-term program, private lessons or the JLPT Preparation Program cannot get student-visa support from the school. Because application deadlines and visa procedures change, the school’s own website is the authoritative source to check before applying.
Facts to Verify Before You Apply
Most of what an applicant needs is on the school’s official site, but a few things are worth double-checking there directly: current fees and any changes to the published totals, the exact document list for your country, and the opening or closing of each enrolment term. The school’s pages as of 5 August 2026 note, for example, that the October-term student-visa application was closed while non-student-visa applications were still open — a reminder that term availability moves quickly. The Naganuma School Tokyo School of Japanese Language publishes all of this itself, and the timeliness statement above is the factual boundary of this guide: it reflects what the school’s website showed on the access date, and the school’s latest pages take precedence.