Twinkle Star International School

Location

• Nerima: 4-29-11 Toyotama-Kita, Nerima City, Tokyo (nearest station: 5-minute walk from Nerima Station)

Ages

Preschool: age 2 to the first kindergarten year (ages 2–4). Kindergarten: first year K-1 (ages 3–4), second year K-2 (ages 4–5), final year K-3 (ages 5–6).

Curriculum

A preschool and kindergarten near Nerima Station where all school life is in English. The kindergarten (K-1 to K-3, ages 3–6) is a 3-year program before elementary school that adopts the approach of Western kindergartens. Morning circle covers weather and seasons, phonics, the alphabet, songs and more, and on sunny days children go to a park 6 minutes away on foot. Crafts and worksheets build fine motor skills and study habits. Besides Halloween, Christmas, sports day, field trips and an overnight graduation trip, there are also Japanese seasonal events. Each class has 2 or more English-speaking teachers, and there are Japanese staff in the office. Classrooms have live cameras so parents can watch online. The preschool (age 2 to the first kindergarten year) is 2, 3 or 5 days a week. After school, there are also classes such as English art, gymnastics, jazz dance and hula dance. Preschool hours are 9:55–13:55. Kindergarten is 4–6 hours a day, with extended care from 8:30 to 10:00 in the morning and 14:00 to 19:00 in the afternoon.

Annual tuition (2026–2027 school year (kindergarten))

It is not stated whether amounts include consumption tax. The kindergarten annual amount is paid in 3 terms (spring term ¥316,000, fall term ¥327,000, winter term ¥237,000). At the end of K-1 and K-2 there is a yearbook fee of ¥5,500, and actual costs of about ¥500–¥2,000 for field trips and similar. The preschool charges a miscellaneous fee (insurance, materials, maintenance) of ¥11,000/year in addition to the monthly fee, and a leave fee of 10% of the monthly fee when taking leave. Extended care is ¥1,100 per hour until 15:00 and ¥1,800 per hour after 15:00. There is no sibling discount. Enrollment fees and tuition paid are non-refundable. Whether it is covered by free early childhood education and care is explained in the official website notice "Nerima City subsidies and free daycare fee subsidies".

Fees at entry

The kindergarten enrollment fee is ¥133,000 when entering from the first year K-1, ¥110,000 from the second year K-2 and ¥88,000 from the final year K-3. When entering from the preschool, it is the difference of ¥99,000 (the kindergarten page says ¥100,000). The preschool registration fee is ¥33,000.

Japanese lessons

There are Japanese staff in the office. There are also Japanese seasonal events. Japanese lessons are not mentioned on the official website.

Lunch

Catered lunch can be ordered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only, for ¥500 per meal.