Yokohama International School

Yokohama International School is located in the heart of the historic foreign residential section of Yokohama, high on a bluff opposite Harbor View Park, overlooking the bustle of Japan’s second largest port city. Some of Yokohama's most popular neighborhoods for foreign residents are within walking distance or a short car ride, and there is convenient access to public buses, subways and excellent train service for which Japan is known. Two major train/subway lines provide reliable and convenient access to YIS from all areas of Yokohama and elsewhere in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo. The Motomachi Chukagai Station of the Minato Mirai Line, a 5-minute walk from the school, connects with Shibuya in the heart of Tokyo in less than 35 minutes via Limited Express.

Please note that we do not provide a school bus service.

The tabs below provide information on how to get to school, commuter passes and more. The Driving to School tab contains important information regarding traffic and parking regulations. You may also want to consider the location of our new campus, conveniently located within two kilometers of our existing campus, to be opened in January 2022, when deciding on the location of your family's housing.

Train

How do I get to school by train?

Take either Minatomirai/Toyoko Line or JR Negishi/Keihin Tohoku Line.

Minatomirai/Toyoko Line

The Minatomirai Line is connected to the Tokyu Toyoko Line, which runs from Shibuya Station in Tokyo via Yokohama Station to Motomachi-Chukagai Station, taking only 35 minutes by limited express. There are convenient connections from stations on the Toyoko Line to Hiroo and Roppongi, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and many other Tokyo locations. (See route map here.)

Traveling to school, get off at Motomachi-Chukagai Station (in Japanese 元町中華街駅). The MM/Toyoko Line is especially convenient for those who live in areas such as Roppongi, Hiroo, Ebisu, Shibuya, Jiyugaoka, Denenchofu, etc.

JR Negishi Line or the Keihin Tohoku (JR Line)

The JR Keihin Tohoku Line runs from Omiya Station via Tokyo Station and Yokohama Station to Ofuna Station. From Yokohama to Ofuna it is also known as the Negishi Line. (See JR route map here.)

From Tokyo, Kawasaki or other points north, you can either switch at Yokohama Station to the Minato Mirai/Toyoko line and go to Motomachi-Chukagai Station as described above, or you can continue on to Ishikawacho Station (in Japanese 石川町駅). If you are coming from points south (Ofuna, Kamakura, etc.) – or if you don’t want to walk quite so far – you can get off at Yamate Station (in Japanese 山手駅). From Yamate Station, you can take bus #20

Directions from Nearby Train Stations

From Motomachi-Chukagai Station (Minatomirai/Toyoko Line)

A 5-minute Walk

Exit toward the front of the train at the Motomachi end of the platform (follow the signs for Exit 5 and 6 rather than the Chinatown exits). Take the escalators up to street level and after going through the ticket gate, turn right and take either the escalators or elevator all the way up to the top, to Americayama Park. From there, it is a quick three-minute walk through the park and along the edge of the Foreign Cemetery to the Bluff Road across the street from the YIS Modern Languages Building. After you cross the street, walk left towards Harbor View Park and turn right at the traffic light near the public parking lots. Walk for about 50 meters to the main school entrance.

From Ishikawacho Station (JR Negishi/Keihin Tohoku Line)

A 15-minute Walk

Exit the South Exit at Ishikawacho Station, turn right out of the station by the taxi stand and walk about 150 meters to a large intersection. Cross over and walk straight along the Motomachi Shopping Street for about 10 minutes. Near the end of the shopping street, you will see a Starbucks on the left. About 50 meters past the Starbucks on the right side of the street is the entrance to Motomachi Chukagai station. Go into the station past the ticket gates and take the elevator/escalator up to the top, to Americayama Park. (See directions from Motomachi-Chukagai Station.) From there, it is a quick three-minute walk through the park and along the edge of the Foreign Cemetery to the Bluff Road across the street from the YIS Modern Languages Building. After you cross the street, walk left towards Harbor View Park and turn right at the traffic light near the public parking lots. Walk for about 50 meters to the main school entrance.

From Yamate Station (JR Negishi/Keihin Tohoku Line)

Bus

How do I get to school by Public bus?

Take either Yokohama City bus #20 or Kanachu bus #11.

Bus #20 runs between JR Yamate Station and Sakuragicho Station (or Yamashita Futo Iriguchi). Get off at off at Minato-no-Mieru Oka-Koen-Mae, or in Japanese 港の見える丘公園前, which is practically in front of the school’s Main Building. It takes approximately 10 minutes from either Yamate Station or Sakuragicho Station.

Bus #11 runs from Sakuragicho Station to Hodogaya Station East Exit. Get off at Minato-no-Mieru-Oka-Koen-Mae. The stop for bus #11 is just around the corner from the Main Building. It takes approximately 10 minutes from Sakuragicho Station and 25 minutes from Hodogaya Station.

Links

Yokohama City Transportation Department

Kanachu Bus Company (Japanese only)

Driving to School

Most YIS students travel to and from school using convenient public transportation, or on foot or bicycle if they live nearby. We are situated in the midst of a residential neighborhood, and so we encourage YIS community members to minimize automobile travel to/from campus for environmental reasons as well as to help lessen the imposition on our neighbors. Please also note that there is no on-campus or street parking at YIS. There are several paid parking lots in within close walking distance to the school.

Campus Map

New Campus

We are currently in the construction phase of the new campus. Our current plan is to start classes at the new campus on January 12, 2022. You may want to take into consideration its location when deciding where your family may want to reside. The campus will be built on a 14,685m² greenfield site in Kominatocho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, less than 2 kilometers from our present campus. The site is adjacent to the Konan Honmoku Front shopping complex and just behind the Yamate Police Station, on Izumikoen-dori, close to other commercial and residential areas of the Honmoku neighborhood. Further information about this exciting project is available on our New Campus page.

The address of the new campus is 2-100-1 Kominato-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0802.

The following bus routes can be used to access the school.

From Motomachi-Chikagai Station: bus #58 or #8
From Sakuragicho Station or Ishikawacho Station: bus # 101, #105 or #106
From Negishi Station: bus #58, #99 or #101

Yokohama and Tokyo Trial Bus Service

We will also run a bus service from within Yokohama to the new campus and from Tokyo to the new campus on a trial basis beginning January 2022. Families enrolling in YIS this school year will have received emails about this service. If you have not received emails about the trial bus service, please email the Admissions Department. Our plan is to provide all families with complete details of the trial service by early September, with sign-ups to be completed by mid-October, before the fall break. Please note that the final go-ahead for the trial service will be dependent upon sufficient sign-up commitments at that time.

CONTACT US

Please use the email addresses listed or leave a voice message and we shall respond to your inquiry as soon as circumstances allow.

258 Yamate-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0862 Japan

Tel: +81(0)45-622-0084

Fax: +81(0)45-621-0379

Email: yis@yis.ac.jp

For general information, media inquiries, and for questions unrelated to the inquiries handled by other offices listed below.

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