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Family & Children

Getting a Nursery Place保育園の申込み·hoikuen no mōshikomi

Licensed nurseries allocate places by a points system, not first-come. Understand the points or you will not get in.

Not verified yet

Drafted from general knowledge. Amounts, thresholds and deadlines change and vary by insurer and municipality — confirm with the office named here before you rely on it.

Why it matters

Licensed nursery places are allocated by a scoring system (点数) that ranks families by need — hours worked, single-parent status, siblings already enrolled, and more. Demand exceeds supply in cities, so places go to the highest scores. Foreign families routinely apply late, or apply as though it were first-come-first-served, and get nothing. The application window for an April start typically falls in the preceding autumn, which means planning nearly half a year ahead.

Deadline
Applications for an April start usually close the previous autumn
Cost
Set by your city
Time
Weeks of preparation; results months later

Do these first

  1. 1Move-in Notification 転入届

What to bring

  • Certificate of employment就労証明書·shūrō shōmeisho

    For each working parent, completed by the employer. Request it early — employers are slow and the deadline is not.

  • Residence Card在留カード·zairyū kādo
  • Income or tax certificate課税証明書·kazei shōmeisho

    Often needed if you moved from another municipality

How it goes

  1. 1

    Get the guidebook and read the points table

    Every municipality publishes an application handbook with the scoring criteria in it. This is the actual rulebook and it is public. Working full-time scores more than part-time; both parents working scores more than one; a sibling already at the nursery adds points. Read it before you decide anything else.

    Say this

    保育園の入園案内をいただけますか。

    Hoikuen no nyūen annai o itadakemasu ka.

    Could I have the nursery application guidebook?

  2. 2

    Apply in the autumn for an April start

    The main intake is April, and applications typically close the previous autumn. Mid-year places exist but are far scarcer. If you know you will need childcare next spring, the work starts this autumn.

  3. 3

    List several nurseries, in genuine order of preference

    You rank multiple choices. Listing only the popular one nearby is how families end up with nothing. Include realistic options — a slightly further nursery you would actually accept is worth more than an ideal one you will not get.

  4. 4

    Ask about unlicensed and temporary options as a fallback

    Unlicensed nurseries (認可外) and temporary childcare exist, cost more, and are not allocated by points. They are worth knowing about while you wait, and using one can sometimes help your position for the following year. Ask the desk what is available locally.

  5. 5

    If you are refused, ask what your score was

    You can find out how you were scored and what the cut-off was. That tells you whether a change in circumstances — more hours, a different ward — would actually change the outcome next round, rather than guessing.