A Japanese school for international kids
Not learning about Japanese.
Connecting in Japanese.
TOMODACHI JAPAN (ともだちじゃぱん) is a new online Japanese school for kids, run by NIJIN Inc. It connects two groups of children who rarely get to meet: kids with foreign roots living in Japan — 84,759 of whom need Japanese-language support, an all-time record (MEXT, 2025) — and the 4 million-plus people learning Japanese around the world (Japan Foundation, 2024).
What makes us different is simple: we are not a grammar school, and we are not a 1-on-1 app. Your child spends every day in a small group with Japanese children from our sister school NIJIN Academy (800+ students) — talking, playing and learning Japanese by becoming friends.
Who can join — school overview
Wondering if your child can join? Here’s the simple version.
Not sure if you fit? That’s exactly what the interview is for. Tell us about your child →
Our philosophy: a group, not a tutor
We don’t teach
Instead of “this is the particle wo,” we start with “What made you happy today? Say it in Japanese!” The conversation itself is the textbook.
We don’t test
Not for JLPT scores or grades, but so your child finds a place to belong in Japan, makes Japanese friends, and comes to love Japan.
We talk, every day
Because you can laugh about mistakes together, kids keep going. We bring NIJIN Academy’s culture of warmth and dialogue into Japanese learning.
We don’t measure growth with a test score.
“How many friends did you make?” — that’s our report card.
“Teaching Japanese” vs. “becoming friends in Japanese”
| Traditional Japanese lessons | TOMODACHI JAPAN |
|---|---|
| “This is the particle wo.” | “What made you happy today? Say it in Japanese!” |
| Teacher → student (one way) | Friend ⇄ friend (both ways) |
| Textbook-based | Conversations with Japanese friends are the textbook |
| Mistakes corrected in red ink | Mistakes you can laugh about together |
| 1-on-1, face to face | “Lunch together” in a metaverse campus with Japanese kids |
| Evaluated by JLPT scores | Measured by “How many friends did you make?” |
Our connection to NIJIN Academy
The “bridge” at the heart of TOMODACHI JAPAN is the Japanese children of our sister school, NIJIN Academy (800+ students). Every day they study in a metaverse campus — and they welcome learners from overseas and foreign-roots children in Japan as their Japanese friends.
- Opened September 2023; 800+ cumulative enrolments, 300+ students who returned to school or graduated
- Its method for bringing real, face-to-face-quality dialogue online — a first in Japan — received the Prime Minister’s Award
- Featured on NHK, TV Asahi and other national media
- Dialogue-based learning that respects each child’s autonomy, with around 100 live lessons a month
Our audiences and goals differ, but the philosophy is the same. If NIJIN Academy is “a place to belong for kids who’ve stepped away from school,” TOMODACHI JAPAN is “a place to belong for kids facing the Japanese-language wall, and kids around the world who love Japan.”
A message from our principal
“As a JICA volunteer, I spent two years in Guatemala, made 5,000 friends, and became fluent in Spanish — not by studying, but by living and talking with people. That experience is the heart of this school. We don’t teach, push or test. We want every child to discover the joy of connecting in Japanese. My dream is to realize world peace through education — and it starts with one friendship at a time.”
— Tatsuro Hoshino, Principal & CEO of NIJIN Inc. Meet our teachers →
Be the first to say konnichiwa!
We open in December 2026. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you launch news and trial-day invitations first.