Section 1
Japanese High Schools
Q1. How do I enroll in high school? Are there high schools I can enroll in?
Q2. When does the Japanese school year start?
Q3. 【The Japanese School System】
Please tell me about the Japanese school system.
Q4.【Importance of enrolling in high school】
Do I have to?
Q5. 【Enrollment Requirements ・ Entrance Exams】
How do I enroll in high school?
Section2
Advancing to High School
Q1. Please tell me about the features of High Schools in Japan.
Q2. How do students commute to school?
Q3.【Types of high schools etc.】
What types of high schools are there?
Q4. 【Tuition Fees】
How much are high school tuition fees?
Q6. What are the requirements to take high school entrance exams?
Q8. What are the series of events leading up to entrance examinations
Q9. 【High School Life】
I want to learn about a high school student’s daily life.
Section3
Status of Residence and Nationality
Q1. 【Residence card】
What is written on a residence card?
Q2. 【Status of Residence】
What is status of residence?
Q3.As a high schooler, is there anything I need to do prior to working a part-time job?
Q4. 【To Those with the Dependent Status】
Am I able to work while I am under the “Dependent” Status?
Section2 Advancing to High School
Q1. Please tell me about the features of High Schools in Japan.
【There are many school events】
At high school, you’ll be able to make various memories.
Examples:
- Entrance ceremony
- Athletic festival/Sports Day
- Culture Festival
- School trips
- School inter-class ball-game competition
- Music Festival
- Graduation ceremony etc.
【Uniform and Clothing】
A lot of high schools require you to wear a uniform daily but there are some schools that don’t have that rule.
【Lunch】
High schools usually don’t provide lunch. High school students prepare their own lunches.
- Bring a boxed lunch from home
- Buy lunch at a convenience store or supermarket
- Buy lunch at the school shop
- Eat at the cafeteria
【Cleaning (public high schools)】
Cleaning takes place in high school after classes are finished for the day.
Students clean the classrooms, hallways etc.
Q2. How do students commute to school?
There are students who go to high school on foot or by bike, and there are also those who use public transportation, such as buses, or trains.
Students pay out of pocket when commuting by public transportation. Many students buy and use a commuter pass. Commuter passes allow you to travel along a set route as many times as you want, coming out slightly cheaper than if you bought a ticket every time.
There are different types of commuter passes, and the price depends on the route you take.
When choosing a high school, make sure to check how much your daily and monthly commute costs will be.
Q3. [Types of high schools etc.]
What types of high schools are there?
High schools are split into the two broad categories of “public high schools” and “private high schools”.
Types of high schools
| ①Public High Schools (Prefectural and Municipal) | ・Schools managed by the prefecture or city ・High school entrance exams have a first and second application round. ・In most cases, each person is only allowed to take one examination at one school. ・You will have to pass an entrance exam to attend a public high school. |
|---|---|
| ②Private high schools | ・A high school privately managed (by companies or organizations). ・Religious beliefs, teaching styles and contents of study differ depending on the school. ・You can take exams for more than one school if you have the time. ・Exam contents differ depending on the school. ・These schools cost more money than public high schools. |
※After enrolling in a public or private high school, you can use the “High School Tuition Support Fund” system to help reduce expenses.
For more details, please see Q4.
Types of courses
| Course | Days with lessons | Study hours per day | Years required to graduate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ①Zennichi-sei (Full-time) (Day) | Monday – Friday / Saturdays / Sundays (depending on the school) | Six to seven hours | Three years | Lessons are held during the day on weekdays. |
| ②Teiji-sei (Part-time)(Day) | Monday – Friday | Approximately four hours | Three to four years | Lessons are held on weekdays either during the day or at night. Students are allowed to do part-time work outside of class. |
| ③(Part-time)(Night) | Monday – Friday | Approximately four hours | Grade system (three to four years) or credit system | |
| ④Tsuushin-sei (Correspondence) | Students attend classes at school a set number of times a year (schooling). | Three years+ | Students study at home using textbooks and study books, and send “reports” to school. | |
Types of Courses
| Futsu-ka(General course) | Students can study a well-rounded curriculum of various subjects, such as languages, geography, history, civics, mathematics, science and English. After graduating from high school, some people go on to university and specialist schools, and others immediately go on to work. |
|---|---|
| Senmon-gakka(Specialized course) | Students study specialized fields in depth, such as international relations, English, science and math, nursing, art, industry, agriculture, fisheries, homemaking and so on. |
Q4. [Tuition Fees]
How much are high school tuition fees?
| Public High Schools (full-day) | Private High Schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Examination Fee (only when taking entrance exams) | 2,200yen | 11,000yen～16,000yen |
| Admission Fee (only when entering high school) | 5,650yen | 140,000yen～215,000yen |
| Tuition (annual) | 118,800yen | 240,000yen～400,000yen |
| Miscellaneous Fees | 70,000yen～80,000yen | 180,000yen～520,000yen |
[High school enrollment support fund system]
If you meet national requirements, you will receive the “high school enrollment support fund”.
This fund is not directly paid to students or their guardians, but is instead sent to the school as tuition fees.
Please consult with your teachers when you enter high school.
Q5. [High School Entrance Examination System]
What types of public high school entrance examinations are there?
Entrance examinations take place twice a year during “first application” and “second application” periods.
The “first application” takes place in March every year. Many people will take the exam at this time.
The “second application” is where schools who did not fulfil their quota during the first application period have a second round.
※Private high schools have different application processes. For more details, please check each schools’ website.
Q6. What are the requirements to take high school entrance exams?
【Public High Schools】
Those who meet all the following criteria can take the examination.
- At least 15 years or during the year they take the exam
- Reside in Miyagi Prefecture with their guardian(s), or plan to move to Miyagi after April 1
(For schools that operate under a part-time school system, applicants must reside in Miyagi Prefecture or plan to move to Miyagi after April 1.) - Fall under the category of ① or ②
①People who have graduated from a junior high school in Japan, or will graduate in March.
②People who have completed 9 years of study in schools in foreign countries/abroad.
【Private High Schools】
Each school is different. For more details, please check each schools’ website.
Q7. Will the entrance examination I take at a public high school be the same one everyone else takes?
Those who have a limited understanding of Japanese can submit an “accommodation request” for alternative examination methods.
For example,
- Decreasing the number of subjects on the entrance examination they take.
- Receiving more time to take the test.
Public high schools will decide courses of action on a case-by-case basis.
Be aware that not all requests will be approved.
There is no way of knowing whether your request will be approved or not.
Even if an accommodation request is approved, you will still have to put in effort to pass.
[Ways of submitting an accommodation request]
- If you attend a junior high school, please consult with your school as soon as you can.
※Your junior high school will submit the request to the high school. - If you do not attend junior high school, please consult with SenTIA or someone who is there to support you.
[People who can submit accommodation requests]
- Foreign nationals living in Miyagi prefecture, and Japanese nationals who did not attend elementary or junior high school in Japan.
- Individuals with limited Japanese knowledge, despite being a Japanese national, to whom any of the following apply.
Lived abroad for over a year
Less than 3 years since moving to Japan
※There are cases where 1 applies to people with foreign roots even if they are Japanese nationals.
Q8. What are the series of events leading up to entrance examinations
| July to August | 3-way parent-child meetings with teachers take place during the junior high school summer holiday. Please think about your first-choice school and let your teachers know. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| August | High school open campuses and school festivals (some schools hold these in September and October). Check the website of schools you are interest in for more information. Going to these events will give you great insight on the school. |
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| September | The “Miyagi Prefecture Public High School Student Selection Requirements List” is released. You’ll find detailed information on examination dates and application quotas here. |
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| October | Information regarding applications for high school entrance exams and format are published. | ||
| November | A Miyagi Prefecture Public High School Student Selection “informational session for taking entrance exams outside of the prefecture” is held. | ||
| December・January | People who are submitted an accommodation request(s) should talk with the high school(s) they wish to take entrance examination(s) for. | ||
| December | 3-way interviews are held at junior high schools. Students should have a first-choice school in mind at this time. (Discussions about accommodation requests will also take place.) | ||
| January | A survey on which public high schools students hope to apply to is circulated at junior high schools. | Private High School Entrance Exams | |
| January to February | |||
| February | |||
| March | Public High School Entrance Exams | ||
| April | Confirm what you need to prepare before starting high school. Start of high school |
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Q9. [High School Life]
I want to learn about a high school student’s daily life.
①Example of a Full-Time Schedule
| 8：25 | Go to school |
| 8：45～9：35 | Period 1 |
| 9：45～10：35 | Period 2 |
| 10：45～11：35 | Period 3 |
| 11：45～12：35 | Period 4 |
| 12：35～13：20 | Lunch |
| 13：20～14：10 | Period 5 |
| 14：20～15：10 | Period 6 |
| 15：20～16：10 | Period 7 |
| School day ends, club activities start |
②Example of a Part-Time Schedule
| 9：15～10：00 | Period 1 | Day class | |
| 10：05～10：50 | Period 2 | ||
| 11：00～11：45 | Period 3 | ||
| 11：50～12：35 | Period 4 | ||
| 12：35～13：35 | Lunch Break | ||
| 13：35～14：20 | Period 5 | Night class | |
| 14：25～15：10 | Period 6 | ||
| 15：20～16：05 | Period 7 | ||
| 16：10～16：55 | Period 8 | ||
| 16：55～17：40 | Evening break (daytime club activities etc.) | ||
| 17：40～18：25 | Period 9 | ||
| 18：30～19：15 | Period 10 | ||
| 19：20～20：05 | Period 11 | ||
| 20：10～20：55 | Period 12 | ||
| 20：55～21：45 | After-school (Night club activities etc.) |
Q10. Web Applications
Entrance examination application procedures have changed.
You now apply online. Junior high students will receive an explanation from their school.
For everyone else, please consult with SenTIA or the Sendai Multicultural Center. We will help you with the procedures.
- You apply online.
- You also submit necessary documents online.
- You will pay examination and tuition fees by one of the following: credit card, convenience store payment, or Pay-easy.
- Every person prints out their certificate of examination themselves. You can print it from a convenience store printer.
- You can also confirm whether you passed or failed online.