Learning Japanese in Tokyo: classes and the JLPT

You can get by in Tokyo with English. You can't really live here without some Japanese. The good news is that learning it can cost almost nothing.

The short version

Tokyo's wards and volunteers run free or near-free Japanese classes. Shinjuku's Nihongo Hiroba needs no booking, and Toshima lists about ten community classes, most of them free [1][2].
Full-time language schools can sponsor a Student visa, but that means study is your main activity and part-time work is capped at 28 hours a week [6].
The JLPT has five levels, N5 (basic) to N1 (advanced). In 2026 it's held in Japan on 5 July and 6 December [3][4].
Employers who ask for Japanese usually mean N2 or above. N1 and N2 also earn extra points for the Highly Skilled Professional visa [7].
For daily admin, survival Japanese plus a translation app will get you through most counters. Bank, rental and medical paperwork is where it gets harder.

How much Japanese do you actually need?

Many Australians land in Tokyo with a bit of high school Japanese and a lot of anime. That's a decent start. What matters is matching your study to what you'll do here.

Your life in Tokyo	Realistic target	What it gets you
English teacher or working holiday, a year or two	Around N5–N4	Shops, trains, restaurants, polite small talk [3]
Long-term resident, English-speaking job	N4–N3	Ward office visits, doctor's appointments, neighbours, letters with help [3]
Job in a Japanese company or client-facing role	N2	Natural-speed conversation, clearly written articles, most work emails [3]
Translator, lawyer, senior role, visa points	N1	Lectures, news, editorials, complex documents [3]

Daily admin

Ward offices see foreign residents every day. Many have English forms or interpreter services, and Shinjuku has a whole Multicultural Plaza for foreign residents [1]. You can register your address with a little help.

Where your Japanese gets tested:

Phone calls. Delivery redelivery, booking oversized rubbish, calling the building manager.
Letters. Tax notices, pension letters and health insurance bills all arrive in Japanese.
Medical visits. English-speaking clinics exist but are clustered in central wards.
Contracts. Rental and phone contracts are almost always in Japanese.

Learn to read hiragana, katakana and the kanji for your name, address and ward early. It makes every form less scary.

Free and cheap: ward and volunteer classes

This is Tokyo's best-kept secret. Every ward has volunteer-run classes, usually in community centres, and many are free.

Shinjuku: Nihongo Hiroba

The Shinjuku Multicultural Plaza runs free classes for beginners on the 11th floor of the Hygeia building in Kabukicho, about 10 minutes' walk from JR Shinjuku Station [1]. Sessions run from 2 to 3 pm:

Monday: kanji
Tuesday: general Japanese
Thursday: beginner conversation and grammar
Saturday: conversation

No booking or registration is needed. It's open to anyone 15 or older (not junior high students), with priority for Shinjuku residents [1].

Toshima: about ten community classes

Toshima City, which covers Ikebukuro, lists around ten volunteer classes [2]. A sample:

Ikebukuro Japanese Circle: Thursdays 7 to 9 pm, free.
Mejiro Japanese Circle: Tuesday afternoons, one-on-one at your level, ¥100 a session.
Rikkyo Japanese Language Class: Monday and Thursday evenings, in person or online, free, for people who live or work in Toshima and aren't at a language school.
Japanese Language Club Konnichiwa!: three Tuesday evenings a month, ¥500 a month.

Some classes are only for beginners; others ask that you can already hold a simple conversation [2]. Evening classes are the ones that suit people working full time.

How to find your ward's classes

Search your ward's English website for "Japanese language class" or nihongo kyoshitsu (日本語教室).
Ask at the ward office when you register your address. Most have a leaflet.
Check the venue rules. Many classes give priority to people who live or work in that ward [1][2].
Email the organiser first if the listing says so. Several Toshima classes are run directly by volunteers, not the venue [2].
Try two or three. Teaching styles vary a lot, from textbook drills to free chat.

The trade-off: volunteer classes are short, often once a week, and depend on volunteers. Great for confidence and meeting locals. Slow if you need N2 by next year.

Full-time language schools and the Student visa

If you want to get serious quickly, a full-time Japanese language school is the intensive route. Expect classes most weekday mornings or afternoons, with many schools clustered around student-heavy areas like Shinjuku, Takadanobaba and Ikebukuro.

The visa link

Schools approved to accept international students can sponsor a Student status of residence. That changes your life in Japan:

Study comes first. The visa is for study, so attendance matters.
Work is capped. With permission, you can work up to 28 hours a week, or up to 8 hours a day during your school's long holidays [6].
Extra work needs extra permission. Internships, tutoring outside the standard rules, or freelancing need individual permission [6].

If you're already on a working holiday visa, part-time classes at a private school might suit better than switching visas. Our Japan working holiday visa guide covers what that visa lets you do.

Choosing a school

Japan's Act on the Accrediting of Japanese-Language Educational Institutes took effect in April 2024. It creates a government accreditation for schools that meet standards for staff, facilities and curriculum, and it introduced a national registration for Japanese language teachers [5]. When comparing schools, ask:

Is the school accredited under the new system, or approved to sponsor Student visas?
What's the class size, and how are levels set?
How many students pass the JLPT each year, and at what level?
What does the fee cover: textbooks, exam fees, visa paperwork?

Fees vary widely by school and course length, so get written quotes from several and compare like with like. We haven't listed prices here because they change by intake.

The JLPT: what it is and which level matters

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is the standard certificate. It's run by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) [4].

The levels

N5: basic expressions and simple sentences in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji [3].
N4: basic Japanese; everyday conversation when spoken slowly [3].
N3: a bridge level; everyday Japanese "to a reasonable degree" [3].
N2: everyday Japanese plus a fair range of other situations, at natural speed [3].
N1: complex, abstract texts and fast natural speech such as news and lectures [3].

When to sit it

In 2026 the test is held on Sunday 5 July and Sunday 6 December [4]. You apply months in advance, so check the Japan test information site run by JEES. It's also held in several Australian cities, but some cities outside Japan only run it once a year [4]. Score reports have shown CEFR levels since the December 2025 test [4].

What employers and Immigration want

Job ads that say "business Japanese" usually mean N2 at least. N1 is common for roles dealing with Japanese clients or documents.
English-teaching and many tech roles don't require a JLPT level, though some Japanese helps you get promoted.
Highly Skilled Professional visa: passing N1 or N2 earns additional points. A Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT) score of 480+ counts like N1, and 400+ like N2 [7].

A JLPT certificate proves reading and listening only. There's no speaking test. Plenty of N2 holders struggle on the phone, and plenty of fluent talkers never sat the test.

Making it stick

Classes are half of it. The other half is using what you learn.

Pick one daily habit: reading signs on your commute, ordering without pointing, chatting to the convenience store staff.
Join something local: a sports club, a volunteer group, a neighbourhood festival committee.
Find a language exchange partner. Plenty of Japanese people want English practice.
Learn keigo basics if you work in a Japanese office. Polite forms matter more here than in casual Australian workplaces.

Want to know which ward class has the best vibe or which school your mates used? Join Cooee Japan, our Facebook group for Australians in Japan, and ask. Someone will have tried the Tuesday night class you're eyeing.

Learning Japanese in Tokyo: free ward classes, language schools and the JLPT