Yakan Gakko | Night Schools

Yakan schools [‘ya-kan’ lit. means ‘night-time’] are schools for people who were not able to complete their compulsory education.

There are part-time schools at junior highs, high schools and universities for people who want to continue their learning while working, and they function as educational institutions for people in all sorts of situations. Take, for example, junior high night school. It offers retraining for people who were not able to receive sufficient education because of the Second World War. In addition, recently many repatriated orphans who had been left behind in China and Koreans living in Japan have studied Japanese in junior high night schools.

People who meet the following conditions are eligible to take classes:

• Did not graduate from either elementary school or junior high school
• Living or working in Tokyo (requirement of Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education) or other ward/city location depending on where the night classes in question are held
• 15 years old or older

In addition to full-time high schools, part-time (daytime or nighttime) and correspondence high schools exist, however information on the internet is hard to come by. It is best to contact your local city or ward office (shi-yakusho or ku-yakusho) as the case might be, and ask for a listing, and to talk to your Board of Education official or school counselor there.

For other information on night high school classes, contact the Zenkoku Juku Kyoukai (The Japan Juku Association). Their website offers juku information all over Japan and gives some form of assessments on the jukus. In addition to the foregoing, vocational schools are more likely to run night time courses, see http://yakan-senmon.com/ which offers a search function for vocational night schools in your area….and as an example, Toyo Institute of Art and Design runs night programs as well.

Public Junior High Night Schools – to read more about the night schools see this page from the Japanese Model of Schooling

The public night junior high schools for Tokyo Metropolitan area are listed here below.

足立区立第四中学校 [Link is currently down; see Wikipedia entry]
（あだちくりつだい４ちゅうがっこう）
【Adachi ward Adachi 4th Junior High School】

足立区梅島１－２－33
Phone:　 03-3887-1466
Fax:　03-3887-6066

八王子市立第五中学校
（はちおうじしりつだい５ちゅうがっこう）
【Hachioji city Dai-go Junior High School】

八王子市明神町４-19-１
Phone:　 042-642-1635
Fax　042-646-6473

葛飾区立双葉中学校
（かつしかくりつふたばちゅうがっこう）
【Katsushika ward Futaba Junior High School】

葛飾区お花茶屋１-10-１
Phone:　 03-3602-7979
Fax:　03-3838-5769

墨田区立文花中学校
（すみだくりつぶんかちゅうがっこう）
【Sumida ward Bunka Junior High School】

墨田区文花１-22-７
Phone:　 03-3617-1562
Fax　03-3617-7920
大田区立糀谷中学校
（おおたくりつこうじやちゅうがっこう）
【Kojiya Junior High School of Ota City】

大田区西糀谷３-６-23
Phone:　 03-3741-4340
Fax　03-3744-2668
荒川区立第九中学校
（あらかわくりつだい９ちゅうがっこう）
【Arakawa ward Dai-kyu junior high school】

荒川区東尾久２-23-５
Phone:　 03-3892-4177
Fax　03-3819-6818

江戸川区立小松川第二中学校
（えどがわくりつこまつがわだい２ちゅうがっこう）
【Edogawa ward Komatsugawa Daini junior high scool】

江戸川区平井３-20-１
電話　 03-3684-0745
Fax　03-3684-165

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education

For public night junior high school classes in Shinjuku, visit the Shinjuku City Official website page here.  Or see listings below.

Adachi Municipal Daiyon Junior High School 

Phone: 03-3887-1466
1-2-33 Umejima, Adachi City

Hachioji Municipal Daigo Junior High School

Phone: 042-642-1635
4-19-1 Myojin-cho, Hachioji City

Katsushika Municipal Futaba Junior High School

Phone: 03-3602-7979
1-10-1 Ohanajaya, Katsushika City

Sumida Municipal Bunka Junior High School

Phone: 03-3617-1562
1-22-7 Bunka, Sumida City

Ota Municipal Kojiya Junior High School

Phone: 03-3741-4340
3-6-23 Nishi-Kojiya, Ota City

Setagaya Municipal Mishuku Junior High School

Phone: 03-3424-5255
1-3-43 Taishido, Setagaya City

Arakawa Municipal Daikyu Junior High School

Phone: 03-3892-4177
2-23-5 Higashi-Ogu, Arakawa City

Edogawa Municipal Komatsugawa Daini Junior High School

Phone: 03-3684-0745
3-20-1 Hirai, Edogawa City

Yokohama area:

There are 5 night junior high schools in Yokohama for persons living or working in Yokohama who are of a designated age (age 15 or older as of April), but have not graduated from junior high school. Non-Japanese who have completed their home country’s compulsory education are not eligible. Classes are taught in Japanese, and held 5 times a week from Monday to Friday from 5:30PM to 8:30PM.

•Yokohama City Tsurumi Middle School: Tsurumi station (Keikyu express / JR), 10 minutes walk
•Yokohama City Urashimaoka Middle School: By bus from JR Higashi Kanagawa station, Urashimaoka Middle School stop, 2 minutes walk
•Yokohama City Nishi Middle School: 10 minutes walk from Keikyu Express Tobe station
•Yokohama City Nakaodai Middle School: 5 minutes walk from JR Yamate station
•Yokohama City Maita Middle School: 5 minutes walk from Maita station on subway
To enter these classes, please contact Yokohama City Board of Education Instructions and Planning Division (Phone : 045-671-3266).

Or contact the Board of Education Secretariat, Elementary and Junior High School Education Division (Phone: 045-671-3266)

Source: City of Yokohama website

For the Sapporo area: please refer to the Sapporo Enjyuku website
Further resources:

夜間中学生 : 133人からのメッセージ /
Yakan chūgakusei : hyaku sanjūsannin karano messēji 東方出版, Ōsaka : Tōhō Shuppan, 2005.