Photograph pending

Yokohama International School (YIS) — A Century Old, in a New Campus at Honmoku

Kanagawa, Japan

A century-old IB school in Yokohama that moved into a new Kengo Kuma-designed campus in 2022.

Researched by William Prep from published sources. Not yet verified by the school. — Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24

YIS opened on 27 October 1924 with six students and one teacher in a rented YMCA classroom. It closed during WWII and reopened at its original Yamate site on 15 September 1955. The school introduced the IB Diploma in 1986, replacing British "A" Levels, and moved to a new Kengo Kuma-designed campus in Honmoku in January 2022 — marking its centenary on 27 October 2024.

At a Glance

Founded	1924as of: 2026-09-24
Location	Yokohama (Honmoku) (not independently confirmed)
Curriculum	Full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP) (not independently confirmed)
Est. First-Year Cost (G6–11)	≈¥5.27M2026-27 · as of: 2026-09-24

A Century of History: From Wartime Closure to a New Campus

According to the school's own history page, YIS had grown to over 100 students from 21 nationalities by 1939, before closing in 1941 under wartime government restrictions; the original campus was destroyed in the 1945 air raids. It reopened on 15 September 1955 at its Yamate site, graduated its first class in 1973, and moved from British "A" Levels to the IB Diploma Programme in 1986.

Fees: A Real First-Year Total of About ¥5.27M (Grade 6–11)

YIS's own 2026-27 fee schedule lists two one-time charges: a ¥50,000 application fee and a ¥1,480,000 registration fee. On top of that, an annual ¥399,000 campus development fee applies alongside grade-banded tuition (¥3,345,000 for Grade 6–11). Added together, a genuine first-year total comes to roughly ¥5,274,000. The bus, uniforms and cafeteria are billed separately, though the school's fee page doesn't publish those amounts.

William Prep’s Analysis

YIS's ¥1,480,000 registration fee is notably higher than the other schools researched in this batch (TIS: ¥400,000; KIST: ¥300,000) — plausibly reflecting the school's history and its 2022 campus investment, though that's our interpretation, not something the school states. Either way, it's a one-time charge worth budgeting for explicitly rather than assuming it's in the same range as elsewhere.

University Entrance Eligibility in Japan

School-accreditation route	Yes (not independently confirmed)
Student-qualification route (IB, etc.)	Yes

YIS is reported to run the full IB continuum. The school-accreditation route (NEASC/CIS) rests on third-party reporting, not a direct registry check this session.

Fees & Estimated First-Year Cost

academic year: 2026-27

Application Fee	¥50,000
Registration Fee	¥1,480,000
Campus Development Fee	¥399,000
Tuition (ELC, half-day)ELC-half	¥2,120,000
Tuition (ELC, full-day)ELC-full	¥2,610,000
Tuition (K–Grade 5)K-G5	¥3,210,000
Tuition (Grade 6–11)G6-G11	¥3,345,000
Tuition (Grade 12)G12	¥3,440,000
School Bus (amount not published)	not publicly confirmed
Estimated First-Year Total	¥5,274,000

Includes: application, registration, capital, tuition — Excludes: Excludes the school bus (amount not published), uniforms, cafeteria fees, and some extracurricular costs. Grade band affects the total — this uses Grade 6–11 tuition as the base.

What Makes This School Distinctive

One of the oldest international schools in Japan

Founded 1924; celebrated its centenary in 2024

Confirmed on the school's own history page, including its wartime closure, reopening, and eventual move to the current campus.

Relevant to families who value a century-scale alumni network and a long, locally-rooted track record.

University Pathways

YIS's university matriculation data was not confirmed this session.

University outcomes for YIS were not confirmed this session.

Admissions

Cycle

未確認 not publicly confirmed

What Japanese Families Should Know

Who Might Find This School a Good Fit

Might suit — Families able to plan for the higher one-time registration fee

Might not suit — Families who hadn't budgeted for a registration fee (¥1,480,000) higher than comparable schools

William Prep’s Analysis

What stood out in researching YIS is that even a school with a century of history still leaves the same kind of detail unpublished as newer schools do — specifically the "billed separately" items like the bus. A school's long history and how transparent its fee schedule is aren't necessarily correlated.

Questions to Ask the School

1.What is YIS's current NEASC and CIS accreditation status, and when is the next review?
Why this matters: This rested on third-party reporting this session, not a direct registry check.
2.What are the specific amounts for the school bus, uniforms, and cafeteria service?
Why this matters: The fee page states these are "billed separately" without publishing amounts.

Sources & Verification

Tuition & Fees — Yokohama International Schoolprimary source · as of: 2026-09-242026-27 schedule: application ¥50,000, registration ¥1,480,000 (one-time); campus development fee ¥399,000/yr + tuition by band. Bus/uniforms/cafeteria billed separately, amounts not published.
History & Legacy — Yokohama International Schoolprimary source · as of: 2026-09-24Founded 27 Oct 1924; closed 1941-1955 (WWII); IB DP introduced 1986; relocated to Honmoku campus Jan 2022; centenary Oct 2024.
Search synthesis on YIS accreditation and curriculum — Multiple (search aggregation)third-party source · as of: 2026-09-24Reports full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP), accreditation by CIS and NEASC. Not independently confirmed against yis.ac.jp's own accreditation page or the CIS/NEASC registries directly this session.
大学入学資格について — 文部科学省 (MEXT)official source · as of: 2026-09-23Sets out the routes to 大学入学資格: MEXT-designated schools; graduates of 12-year programmes at institutions accredited by WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC, Cognia or COBIS; holders of the IB Diploma, Abitur, Baccalauréat, GCE A-Level, International A-Level or European Baccalaureate; 高等学校卒業程度認定試験 (age-18 gated); and individual university review at 18+.

Last reviewed by William Prep: 2026-09-24

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