Guide · how schools differ
Different kinds of language schools in Japan
“Japanese language school” is not one legal type. Visa, hours, and what happens after the course depend on which kind you pick. This page names the main ones, in plain terms.
1. Student-visa Japanese language institutes
These are the schools most people mean when they plan to move to Japan to study Japanese full time. They are Japanese language education institutions notified to the Immigration Services Agency (法務省告示). A Certificate of Eligibility and a student visa are possible if you are accepted onto a qualifying long course (often one year or more, with enough classroom hours).
Typical students: first time in Japan, need a visa, want JLPT or university prep, or general Japanese. Intakes often January, April, July, October.
This site’s Tokyo and Osaka catalog is this kind of school — not community classes and not every university program.
2. University Japanese programs (including 別科)
Many universities run a Japanese language program or preparatory course (別科) for international students. The aim is often entry to that university (or another faculty), not a standalone language diploma. Status may be student visa, but the application path is through the university, with different calendars and English/Japanese requirements.
Use these if your goal is a Japanese degree. Use a language institute if you need Japanese first and have not chosen a university yet.
3. Vocational schools (専門学校) with Japanese courses
Some professional training colleges teach Japanese, sometimes mixed with design, business, or care work. A student visa can apply if the course is a recognized senmon program — that is a different track from a stand-alone language institute. Check whether you are applying for Japanese only or a vocational qualification.
4. Short-term courses (no student visa)
The same campus that offers visa courses often also sells weeks or a few months of classes. Those are for people already in Japan on working holiday, dependent, work, or visitor status (visitor stays have tight limits — do not assume a tourist can enroll long-term). Hours are usually lighter. They do not by themselves get you a student visa.
5. Community, volunteer, and conversation classes
Ward offices, NPOs, and private conversation schools offer cheap or free Japanese. Useful for residents. They are not a student-visa route and are not in this matcher.
How to choose in one line
- Need a student visa to study Japanese: immigration-notified language institute.
- Need a Japanese university: university 別科 or that university’s language program, after you can apply.
- Need a job skill plus Japanese: check senmon courses carefully.
- Already have status in Japan: short-term or part-time at a language school, or community class.
Always ask: Can this course sponsor a student visa? If the school cannot say yes in writing, treat it as short-term study only. Next: how to choose the right kind of school.