Yokohama International School

In Brief

First thing to know. YIS is in Yokohama, not Tokyo. Plenty of Tokyo families do the commute - it's around 30 minutes on the express train from Shibuya to Motomachi-Chukagai, then a five-minute walk. Diplomatic families do it daily. But this is not a school you fall into because it's nearby. You're choosing it.

The core proposition. Founded 1924. Full IB pathway from preschool through Diploma. Around 750 students, 50+ nationalities. IB Diploma pass rate has been running near 99% with an average score around 35 (global average is around 30). New Honmoku campus opened 2022 - 50% bigger than the old Bluff site, athletic field, pool, auditorium, designed by Kengo Kuma.

What people actually say. - The community is the headline. Parents talk about a strong PTSA, a warm culture, and families who genuinely engage. According to one parent, it's "a wonderful welcoming school." Heavy on Scandinavian and northern European families, plus diplomats and a growing East Asian expat cohort. - Class sizes are real - 16 to 22. - Older negative reviews online refer to a previous head. One forum commenter put it bluntly: "the school is fantastic" now, and the bad reviews are "from two headmasters ago." Worth knowing if your friend reads anything alarming from pre-2020. - Teacher gripe (relevant to parents because it bleeds into culture): staff feel stretched. One teacher said the school "kind of dance round the extra hours you put in." - No pattern of bullying complaints surfacing. Safeguarding is taken seriously.

Who it suits. Families who want a genuine IB continuum, value internationalism over a single-nationality bubble (it's not American like ASIJ, not British like BST), and are happy to live in Yokohama or commit to the commute. Strong fit for Yamate/Motomachi residents.

Who it doesn't. Families set on living in central or west Tokyo with young children - the commute gets tiring fast in lower years. Families wanting an American or British curriculum.

Cost. Roughly 2.88-3.67m JPY per year tuition, plus a 1.35m JPY one-off registration fee. There's a wait pool for popular year groups; siblings, returning families and staff children get priority.

Bottom line. Solid, well-run IB school with a real community feel and a serious new campus. The biggest decision isn't the school - it's whether you want to live in Yokohama or commute from Tokyo.