Moving to Japan with family 2027 starts with the principal resident’s status of residence, a school place, and a home that keeps the daily commute manageable. For parents relocating to Japan with family, the immigration route comes first. This Japan family relocation guide then covers cities, school pathways, rent, healthcare, municipal registration, disaster preparation, and the first month’s routine.
Families can move to Japan when the principal resident qualifies for a long-stay status and each accompanying relative meets the relevant conditions. The route depends on the applicant’s purpose and the family’s circumstances. Work, study, business, and family relationship routes have different requirements. The correct Japan status of residence depends on those details. Families should not assume that one Japan visa for family covers every household.
Japan distinguishes between a visa and a status of residence, as explained in its long-stay visa guidance. For stays longer than 90 days, applicants should in principle obtain a Certificate of Eligibility from the Immigration Services Agency before applying through the Japanese diplomatic mission responsible for their place of residence. The mission issues the visa abroad. Border authorities handle landing permission and the status of residence. A visa does not guarantee entry.
Start with the principal applicant’s purpose, sponsor, nationality, intended duration, and likely status. Check the relevant embassy or consulate for the family’s visa requirements and the documents required for Japan dependent family members. These may include proof of relationship, passports, photographs, translations, and sponsor evidence. Processing times vary, so families moving to Japan from abroad should begin well before the intended arrival.
The cost of moving to Japan with family has two parts: pre-departure and ongoing. If you are moving from overseas, separate the bills due before departure from those that start after arrival. Pre-departure costs may include documents, visa fees, flights, shipping, temporary accommodation, school applications, pet transport, and initial household purchases. Ongoing costs include rent, utilities, food, commuting, childcare and nursery options, tuition, activities, insurance, and travel.
The cost of living in Japan for families varies with city, property size, school pathway, transport, employment benefits, and family size. Moving to Japan with children also requires a plan for school calendars, childcare, and daily transport. International school fees in Japan can be a major recurring expense. Current Doris fee ranges are comparison references, not guaranteed 2027 prices. Keep an arrival budget, a recurring budget, and a contingency reserve. Parents asking how much money to save before moving to Japan should list each known payment and its likely due date instead of relying on one national figure.
Parents searching for the best cities in Japan for families should start with the weekly routine, not a national ranking. If your work is in Tokyo, moving to Tokyo with family can provide a large choice of international schools and services. Moving to Osaka with family may suit you when your work and school options cluster in Kansai. Yokohama, Chiba, Tsukuba, Kobe, and regional cities can work when the commute and school pathway are practical.
Choose the school route before signing a tenancy. Families renting a home in Japan should test the school commute before accepting a property. Before accepting a property, check the rental costs and guarantor requirements. The guidance lists the rental agreement, security deposit, key money, agency fee, and damage-insurance premium as costs to examine. It also flags initial rent, renewal fees, guarantor requirements, and pet restrictions. A Japan housing guarantor or guarantee company may require a passport, residence card, proof of earnings, or employment evidence. Request a full written estimate for Japan key money and security deposit costs because charges vary by property and region.
Use settling-in guidance for foreign residents alongside local advice on housing, resident obligations, disasters, and medical care. Check the school route, storage, and journey to a clinic before you sign.
If your child may enter school soon after the move, compare international schools in Japan with Japanese public schools for foreign children on language, curriculum, age range, admissions, availability, commute, and budget. Local education offices manage municipal-school placement. Individual schools manage Japan school admissions, including assessment, fees, and available places.
The first steps for local-school enrolment appear in school guidance for foreign children. Contact the relevant municipal education office about placement, documents, and language support. Contact each international school directly about grade placement and assessment.
|
No. |
School |
Location |
Age range |
Curriculum |
Current Doris fee reference |
Class size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Uchikanda, Tokyo |
3–11 |
British Curriculum, EYFS |
Fees not listed |
Not listed |
|
|
2 |
Kiba, Tokyo |
3–18 |
British and Cambridge pathways |
JPY 1,515,200–2,450,700 |
23 |
|
|
3 |
Yokohama, Kanagawa |
3–18 |
German Curriculum |
JPY 1,650,000–1,810,000 |
17 |
|
|
4 |
Tsukuba, Ibaraki |
3–11 |
IB PYP, IB MYP, Bespoke Curriculum |
JPY 1,230,000–1,470,000 |
12 |
|
|
5 |
Kashiwa, Chiba |
11–18 |
British Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels |
JPY 5,440,000–11,180,000 |
20 |
|
|
6 |
Kobe, Hyogo |
6–13 |
IB PYP, IB MYP, IB DP |
JPY 2,800,000–2,900,000 |
22 |
|
|
7 |
Osaka |
3–18 |
IB PYP, IB MYP, IB DP |
JPY 1,638,000–2,168,000 |
20 |
|
|
8 |
Karuizawa, Nagano |
14–18 |
IB DP, Japanese Curriculum |
JPY 7,455,000 |
10 |
These Doris profiles cover different entry ages, curricula, and school models. Compare each option with your child’s year group and expected time in Japan. The Epsom College Tokyo profile lists a forthcoming 2027 option with no published fees. Do not describe One World International School Tsukuba as fully authorised from the Doris profile alone. Rugby School Japan begins at age 11. UWC ISAK Japan is a full-boarding secondary option. The school plans North London Collegiate School Kobe’s senior campus for 2028.
Immigration permission and municipal administration are separate steps. After eligible foreign residents establish a home, they should follow the local registration process and keep address records current. A move between municipalities may require a move-out notification and a move-in notification.
For qualifying foreign residents, residence registration guidance explains how the Basic Resident Registration Japan system records a residence. Confirm the deadline and documents with the municipality.
Foreign residents staying for three months or more have to subscribe to Japan National Health Insurance after residence registration. The National Health Insurance guidance explains the registration process and income declaration. Its standard example has the public system paying 70% of covered medical costs and the patient paying 30%. Employer-based cover may apply, so ask the employer and municipality which healthcare for foreign residents in Japan arrangement covers the household.
Your Japan family settlement checklist should include a nearby clinic, medicine checks, school communication, Japan childcare and nursery options, transport routes, food needs, Japanese language for daily life, and a plan for sick days. Family life in Japan becomes easier when you test the neighbourhood at the time your children would travel and check the actual routine.
Include Japan disaster preparedness in the housing decision. Save the emergency warning information and learn about heavy rain, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, and storm surges. Learn the evacuation routes for home and school. Keep medicines, water, chargers, documents, and child supplies ready. Families bringing pets to Japan should check the dog import requirements before booking transport. Requirements vary by origin. The service may detain animals that do not meet them.
Put the move into a Japan relocation timeline 2027 so you can see which decisions depend on earlier ones. Actual visa, school, housing, shipping, and pet timelines vary.
|
Timing |
Priorities |
|---|---|
|
12–18 months before |
Confirm the reason for moving to Japan from abroad, your family’s status of residence, the cities you are considering, suitable schools, age placement and the likely cost of moving to Japan with your family. |
|
9–12 months before |
Review Certificate of Eligibility requirements for Japan, contact school admissions teams, compare school commute routes and research rental housing for foreign residents. |
|
6–9 months before |
Prepare application documents and translations, review Japan school admissions requirements, compare tenancy terms, investigate healthcare arrangements and begin Japan dog import requirements if relevant. |
|
3–6 months before |
Submit school applications, confirm your school and housing arrangements, organise shipping and temporary accommodation, and set aside a reserve for your first month in Japan. |
|
Final month |
Carry original documents, confirm travel arrangements, organise medicines and child supplies, and recheck the latest official instructions for entry, residence and moving procedures. |
|
First month in Japan |
Complete residence registration and submit the required moving-in notification at your local municipal office. Arrange Japan National Health Insurance or employer-provided cover, set up communications, finish school onboarding, test the school commute and learn local evacuation routes. |
Before booking travel, confirm which Japan visa requirements for families apply and which Certificate of Eligibility documents remain. Check that the chosen city and neighbourhood make the school commute Japan manageable. Decide whether each child needs a Japanese public school or a place at one of the international schools in Japan. Then compare Japan school admissions, age range, curriculum, fee references, and availability.
For housing, check whether the Japan rental housing for foreigners accepts the family’s documents, guarantor, income, pets, and intended stay. Confirm the insurance route. Plan the first month in Japan around emergencies, medicines, pets, and local support.
This move to Japan checklist helps an expat family in Japan turn a broad plan into practical decisions. If you search for “expat family Japan” resources, use the checklist to organise advice from employers, schools, municipalities, and local support groups. Keep official correspondence, school information, fee quotations, tenancy estimates, and municipal instructions together. Review them close to departure because requirements and availability can change.
You can contact school directly from school profile
A family may qualify through another long-stay purpose, but the principal resident still needs a status of residence that permits the intended activity. Confirm the route with the Immigration Services Agency and the relevant Japanese diplomatic mission.
Ask the relevant municipal education office about placement, documents, and available language support. MEXT’s multilingual guide is a useful starting point. International schools manage their own admissions, assessments, and available places.
The total depends on housing, school, transport, employment benefits, shipping, insurance, and family size. Separate arrival, recurring, and contingency budgets instead of using an unsupported national savings figure.
Foreign residents staying for three months or more generally need National Health Insurance when another applicable public scheme does not cover them. Employees should confirm employer-based cover for the household.
Begin 12–18 months before the intended move where possible. Confirm the status of residence first, then coordinate schools, documents, housing, healthcare, travel, shipping, and pet preparation.
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This guide was written by Aditya, part of the doris editorial team. doris sources school data from institutions worldwide and speaks directly with parents navigating the school search process. Schools are listed for informational purposes only. doris does not rank or promote any school.