Nursery & Daycare (Hoikuen) in Japan

Hoikuen Navigator

Japanese nursery system + application timeline

Japanese nursery (hoikuen) basics

Certified nursery (認可 · ninka)

Certified by the municipality. Fees scale with income (~¥20–50k/month). Admission is point-based and competitive.

Non-certified nursery (認可外 · ninkagai)

Less regulated, more expensive (~¥80–150k/month). Easier to get in.

Point system (認可 only)

Dual-income is the baseline. Single parents, siblings already enrolled, and medical needs add points. Having grandparents nearby often REDUCES points.

Schedule

Applications open ~October for the following April intake. Deadline Nov–Dec. Results Jan–Feb.

Waitlist problem (待機児童)

Popular wards (Setagaya, Minato, Chuo) have long waitlists. A non-certified backup is almost mandatory.

⚠️ Point weights and required documents vary per ward. Always verify with your ward's education board (教育委員会).

How the score (指数) is calculated

Base index (基準指数) — points per parent from work status (e.g. in Setagaya, full-time = 50 pts each → 100 for a dual-income couple).

Adjustment index (調整指数) — +/− for circumstances (roughly −20 to +20). Single parent +10–20, a sibling already at the nursery adds points, and grandparents able to help nearby can REDUCE points in some wards.

Scale and items differ by ward (Setagaya tops out at 50/parent; others use different scales). In high-demand wards a near-maximum score (around 105 in Setagaya) can be the cutoff for popular nurseries. Check your ward's exact 利用調整基準 (admission-adjustment) table linked below.

Required

Generate your application timeline

Child's age (months)

Age in months

0–72 months (max 6 years)

Target April intake year

Target year

Ward (optional)

e.g. 世田谷区 (Setagaya)

If provided, the timeline will be tailored to the ward's schedule.

Generating…

Your hoikuen application timeline

Start over

Your ward's official enrollment page

Fees & vacancy info

Apply in your ward (Tokyo 23)

Licensed-nursery enrollment is run ward by ward. Pick yours to jump to the official page.

For an April start, you apply roughly October–early December of the prior year (some wards add winter rounds). Exact dates are published yearly on the ward page.

Ages 3–5 are free nationwide. Ages 0–2 have an income-linked fee (free for tax-exempt households; some wards extend 0–2 free — check locally).

Select your ward

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