This page is general information from official sources. Nursery places are decided by the city or town, and this page cannot tell you whether your child will get one. For your own case, ask the childcare desk where you live.
If both parents work, study or cannot look after a young child during the day for another reason, you can apply for a place at a licensed nursery school (保育所, hoikusho). This guide compares how applications work all year in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town: the monthly deadlines, the papers each parent needs and where to hand them in. For the dates of Kumamoto City’s April 2027 round, see Nursery school applications in Kumamoto City for April 2027.
In short
- You apply to the city or town, not only to the nursery. Places go by points, not by the order you apply (section 1).
- Children start on the 1st of a month. For a start in another month than April, all three set a deadline in the month before (sections 3 to 5).
- Each parent needs a paper that shows why the child needs care, such as an employment certificate (就労証明書) filled in by the employer (section 2).
- Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town say you cannot apply for a baby who is not yet born.
Checked with official pages on October 6, 2026.
| City or town | April entry | Other months |
|---|---|---|
| Kumamoto City | Rounds in October and January | By the 15th of the month before (online: by the 10th) |
| Kikuyo Town | Nov 2–30, 2026, at your first-choice nursery | By the 10th of the month before, at the town office |
| Ozu Town | November (2026 dates not yet posted) | By the 10th of the month before, at the town office |
1. How does the system work?
Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town
To use a nursery school, the childcare part of a certified center (認定こども園) or small-group care for children under 3, your household needs a childcare certification (教育・保育給付認定) from the city or town where you live. You apply for it on the same form as the nursery place. Kindergartens (幼稚園) work differently: Kumamoto City says you apply to each kindergarten directly.
Every parent in the home needs a reason the city or town accepts. The three lists are almost the same: work, pregnancy and birth, illness or disability, caring for a family member, disaster recovery, looking for work, and study. Kumamoto City and Kikuyo Town say the hours you work decide how long your child can stay each day: up to 11 hours (標準時間, standard) or up to 8 hours (短時間, short).
- Points decide. The city or town scores each family’s situation and offers places from the highest score down. Kumamoto City and Ozu Town say the date you apply does not change your chances.
- Start dates. Children start on the 1st of a month. Kumamoto City allows a start partway through a month only in urgent cases, such as a risk of abuse or domestic violence.
- On hold. If there is no place, your child is put on hold (保留, horyu). Kumamoto City and Kikuyo Town say a child on hold stays in the selection for later months. Ozu Town says you hear nothing more until a place is offered.
Kumamoto City and Kikuyo Town say you cannot apply for a new place while on childcare leave (育児休業), unless you are going back to work. If you return between the 1st and the 15th, you can apply for the 1st of the month before; if you return from the 16th, for the 1st of that month.
2. What papers do I need?
Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town
- Fill in the application form. It is the childcare certification application and nursery application in one (教育・保育給付認定申請書兼保育施設利用申込書). Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town also have a short confirmation sheet (確認書・確認票).
- Get proof of the reason for each parent. For work, ask your employer to fill in the employment certificate. For pregnancy, copy the cover and the due-date page of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳). For illness, get a doctor’s certificate. Self-employed parents add a copy of their tax return or a similar paper that each city or town lists.
- Write your My Number on the form, and bring ID. Kumamoto City and Kikuyo Town check your identity and your My Number (個人番号) when you apply. Kumamoto City lists the residence card (在留カード) as one photo ID that is enough on its own.
Rules for grandparents who live with you differ. Kumamoto City asks for the same papers for grandparents under 60 at the same address. Kikuyo Town asks for them for grandparents under 65. In Ozu Town they are optional for grandparents aged 65 or under, but without them the town lowers your points.
Important
Kumamoto City asks for original certificates dated within 3 months of your application. It does not accept forms written with erasable pens or corrected with correction tape; cross out mistakes with two lines.
3. Kumamoto City
Kumamoto City
You can hand in the forms at your first-choice nursery or the Health and Children Section (保健こども課) of any ward office, send them by post, or apply online through Mynaportal with a My Number Card. The city asks you to contact the nurseries you want and visit with your child before you apply. Applications are made for each school year.
- April. The city runs two rounds, in October and January. The April 2027 dates are in our April 2027 guide.
- Other months. Apply at a counter or by post by the 15th of the month before (the next working day if the 15th is a weekend or holiday). Post must arrive by that day.
- Online deadline. For starts up to March 2027, the city’s page gives the 10th of the month before, 23:59. For starts from May 2027, the page gives the 15th in one place and the 10th in another, so apply online by the 10th or ask your ward office.
- Vacancies. From May, the city posts open places around the 5th of each month on its child-rearing support website (熊本市こども・子育て応援サイト).
You can apply before you move to Kumamoto City. The city then asks for a copy of a paper that shows your child’s date of birth, such as the Maternal and Child Health Handbook.
The online form takes 30 minutes to an hour, according to the city. You need a smartphone that can read the My Number Card, or a card reader for a computer. Keep the Maternal and Child Health Handbook nearby.
If you worked abroad. The fee is set from the parents’ municipal tax. If you worked outside Japan, the city asks for proof of that year’s income with a Japanese translation; until your tax can be confirmed, it charges the highest fee.
Phone (Health and Children Sections): Chuo Ward 096-328-2421, Higashi Ward 096-367-9130, Nishi Ward 096-329-6838, Minami Ward 096-357-4135, Kita Ward 096-272-1104
Official page: applications for the 2027 school year (Japanese)
4. Kikuyo Town
Kikuyo Town
The Child-rearing Support Division (子育て支援課) at Kikuyo Town Office handles nursery places.
- April 2027. Forms are handed out from mid-October at nurseries, the division and the Western Branch Office (西部支所). Hand them in to your first-choice nursery from Monday, November 2 to Monday, November 30, 2026, on weekdays during its opening hours. The Western Branch Office does not take them. For two home-style nurseries (家庭的保育室) and for nurseries outside the town, hand them in to the division. The town plans to send results in early February 2027.
- Other months. Hand the forms to the division by the 10th of the month before. If the 10th is a closed day, the deadline is the working day before.
- On hold. For April 2027 entry, a child on hold stays in the monthly selection up to the March 2028 entry. You do not need to apply again in that year.
Work, care and study must be at least 52 hours a month. If you apply because you are looking for work, you must start work within 3 months of entry. If you will move to Kikuyo Town, add a copy of a paper that shows your child’s date of birth. The town may phone you to check your answers.
Two changes are planned from April 2027: the town nursery Nakayoshi-en (なかよし園) will be rebuilt, and its children will be cared for together at Midori-en (みどり園); the private Sakura-en (さくら園) plans to become a certified center.
Address: Kikuyo Town Office, 2800 Oaza Kubota, Kikuyo-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto 869-1192 · Google Maps
Phone: 096-232-2202 (Child-rearing Support Division)
Official page: April 2027 (Japanese) · Official page: other months (Japanese)
5. Ozu Town
Ozu Town
The Child-rearing Support Division (子育て支援課) takes applications all year at counter 5 on the 1st floor of Ozu Town Office. Print the forms from the town page or pick them up at the counter. The town says you can ask to talk in a private room.
- April. The town takes applications for one month, in the November before. The dates for April 2027 were not on the town’s page when we checked.
- Other months. Hand in the forms by the 10th of the month before (the day before, if the 10th is a weekend or holiday).
- Results. The town sends results around the 20th of each month. It sends the on-hold letter only once; after that, you hear nothing until a place is offered.
The employment certificate is valid for 6 months from the date it is signed. If you apply while looking for work, you must hand in an employment certificate within 2 months of entry. You can apply before you move to Ozu Town; the town sends a provisional offer and cancels it if you have not moved in by the end of the month before entry. Visiting nurseries does not affect the decision, but the town recommends it.
Address: Ozu Town Office, 1233 Oaza Ozu, Ozu-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto 869-1292 · Google Maps
Phone: 096-293-5981 (Child-rearing Support Division)
Official page: nursery applications (Japanese)
6. How much does it cost?
Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town
In all three places, the monthly fee depends on the household’s municipal tax. The fee for April to August uses the previous year’s tax, and the fee for September to March uses the current year’s. Kumamoto City and Ozu Town say the basic fee is free from the class for 3-year-olds; Kumamoto City says this is the national free early-childhood scheme that began in October 2019. Meals, events, extended care and other extras are still charged. In Ozu Town, you pay meal charges (副食費) to the nursery directly. Kumamoto City and Ozu Town also reduce the fee for second and later children. Ask the childcare desk for your own fee; this page does not calculate it.
7. Can I ask in English?
None of the three childcare pages say which languages the desks can use, and the forms are in Japanese. Kumamoto City’s English Living Guide for Foreign Residents has a short section on nursery schools. In Ozu Town, the Foreign Residents Consultation Desk on the 1st floor of the Town Office plans an English interpreter on Wednesdays; check its monthly calendar. For other help, see Where to get help in your language in Kumamoto.
Common questions
Does applying early improve my chances?
No. Kumamoto City and Ozu Town say places go by points, not by the order of application.
Do I need to apply again every month if we are on hold?
No. Kikuyo Town says one application stays in the monthly selection for the rest of that school year. Kumamoto City says a child on hold is included in later months while the reason for care can be confirmed.
We live in one town but want a nursery in another. What do we do?
Apply to the city or town where you live. It then asks the other city or town. Kumamoto City allows this only in some cases, for example when you work and a place in the city is hard to get. It says conditions and deadlines differ, so check with the city or town where the nursery is.
What if we turn down the place we are offered?
Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town say no on-hold letter is issued after you decline. Kumamoto City says that to be considered again, you need a new application with all the papers.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 6, 2026)
- Kumamoto City: nursery applications for the 2027 school year, nursery applications for the 2026 school year, links for nursery applications, Living Guide for Foreign Residents (English, chapter 3)
- Kikuyo Town: applications for April 2027 with its guide and Q&A (PDF), applications during the year
- Ozu Town: nursery applications, nursery fees, child-rearing handbook 2026 (chapter 7), Foreign Residents Consultation Desk
