Niseko Is About To Have A New International School

In April of 2025 a new international school is due to open in Niseko.

The school, “KIU Academy Niseko School”, is being opened by the existing Kyoto International University (KIU) in Kyoto Prefecture, and will serve students from elementary through high school.

KIU was founded in 1989 by Peter Blocksom, a child of missionaries who was born and raised in Japan.

The stated goal of KIU in Kyoto as well as the coming KIU Academy Niseko School is to nurture students who can speak both Japanese and English and to ensure everyone has an understanding of Japanese culture, as regardless of nationality, Japan is the students’ home, whether temporarily or permanently.

Parents are able to exempt their children from the Japanese language, an option some families who are in the country only briefly have taken, but this is quite rare.

“Our school year officially starts in April so we take transfers in September and in January,” said Blocksom, referring to the school’s observance of the Japanese, Australian and Western calendars.

Although KIU had several opportunities to expand to other areas, it chose Niseko largely because of the area’s need as it has many international students and hafu (meaning mixed race) Japanese students.

Another reason is the market – many families in Niseko have the means to send their children to an international school.

The tuition will likely be around JPY1 million yen a year, said Blocksom, with assistance available to families in need, a lesser price tag than many international schools in Japan.

Another factor that made Niseko appropriate, said Blocksom, is despite its approach to Japanese culture and studies, KIU Academy Niseko School will have a western approach to education, with an emphasis on critical thinking skills that can apply to the international world many Niseko parents inhabit.

KIU Academy Niseko School, like its counterpart in Kyoto, will be part of the Association of Christian Schools International and as such, employs a diverse staff of Christian teachers and teaches from what it calls a Christian Perspective.

It does not require students to worship or to be Christian, but this does have an effect upon some of the natural sciences curriculum.

Blocksom anticipates having 50 students during the first school year of KIU Academy Niseko School, which will be located close to Niseko View Plaza Rest Area, and hopes to have 100-120 in its fifth year, spread across elementary, middle and high school.

On 21 October from 2 – 4pm, KIU will host an explanatory meeting in Niseko for those who want more information about KIU Academy Niseko School.

The meeting will be held at Niseko Chuo Sokogun: Ichigo Soko; 60-2 Chuo-dori, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 048-1512

Further details are available here.

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