For an after-school club (学童, gakudo) place from April 2027 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Kure City and Higashihiroshima City take applications from November 1 to November 30, 2026 (Higashihiroshima until 17:00). Hiroshima City and Fukuyama City had not posted their 2027 dates as of October 22, 2026.
From January 2027, Hiroshima City cuts the ¥5,000 monthly fee to ¥3,000. This guide compares the four cities’ intake dates, how to apply, monthly fees, snack costs, opening hours and break-only use. For Hiroshima City and Fukuyama City, the dates shown are from the last round (the 2026 school year).
In short
- Kure and Higashihiroshima: apply online from November 1 to November 30, 2026. Kure also accepts later applications, but you may not get the start you want.
- Hiroshima City: last round’s first intake was December 5 to 18, 2025. Fukuyama: January 5 to February 14, 2026, for new first graders.
- From January 2027 the standard fee is ¥3,000 a month in both Hiroshima City and Fukuyama. Snacks cost extra in all four cities.
- Winter-break-only use in 2026 has its own deadlines: Fukuyama November 7, Hiroshima City November 14 (first round) and November 30 (second round).
- The four city pages are in Japanese and do not say whether staff can help in English; ask the contact office before you go.
Checked with official pages on October 22, 2026.
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Hiroshima after-school club applications for 2027: Kure, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima and Fukuyama
Only Kure and Higashihiroshima have opened 2027 intake dates, and both close on November 30, 2026. Last round, Hiroshima City held its first year-round intake in December and Fukuyama in January.
| City (club name) | April intake | How to apply |
|---|---|---|
| Kure (Hokago Jidokai) | 2027: Nov 1 to 30, 2026 | Kosodate online application |
| Higashihiroshima (Ikiiki Kodomo Club) | 2027: Nov 1 to 30, 2026, 17:00 | Citizen portal e-application |
| Hiroshima City (Hokago Jido Club) | 2026 intake: Dec 5 to 18, 2025 (new grades 1 to 3) | Online, or bring to the club |
| Fukuyama (Hokago Jido Club) | 2026 intake: Jan 5 to Feb 14, 2026 (new grade 1) | Club, city office or Neuvola Center |
The Kure and Higashihiroshima dates are in November 2026. Hiroshima City’s last-round dates are from December 2025 and Fukuyama’s from January and February 2026. Private clubs take applications on their own, apart from the city intake.
Monthly fees and snack costs for after-school clubs in 4 Hiroshima cities
From January 2027 the basic monthly fee is ¥3,000 in both Hiroshima City and Fukuyama, while Higashihiroshima is ¥5,400 for Monday to Saturday until 19:00 and Kure is ¥5,000 for Monday to Saturday. Snack money is extra in every city.
| City | Monthly fee | Snacks and extras | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kure | Mon to Fri ¥3,500; Mon to Sat ¥5,000 | Events and snacks about ¥1,800 to ¥2,000 a month | 14:00 to 18:30 |
| Higashihiroshima | From ¥3,000 (Mon to Fri) to ¥5,400 (Mon to Sat) | ¥1,500 a month (¥1,800 with Saturday) | After school to 19:00 |
| Hiroshima City | Free or ¥3,000 from January 2027 (a ¥5,000 level until December) | Bento and snacks extra | 13:00 to 18:30 |
| Fukuyama | ¥3,000 (second child ¥1,500) | About ¥1,500 to ¥2,000 a month | After school to 18:00 |
Hours are for weekdays in term time. The amounts are those on each city’s pages and may change for the 2027 school year.
How to apply in each city
Each city words its eligibility rule differently, and some set a minimum number of work days and hours. Before you apply, check that your work days and finishing time meet your city’s rule.
Kure City: Hokago Jidokai, apply by November 30 and choose Monday to Saturday or Monday to Friday
Kure City asks families who want a place from April 2027 to apply from Sunday, November 1 to Monday, November 30, 2026. A late application may not get the start you want. You apply under “Enrollment” (入会) on the city’s Kosodate online application (子育てオンライン申請) and attach images of documents such as an employment certificate. The city also keeps taking applications after the period.
Children in grades 1 to 6 at a Kure City elementary school can join if a parent is away from home after school for work or a similar reason. That must happen on 15 days or more a month and last three months or longer, the child must be expected to use the club for three months in a row after joining (not counting months of long school holidays), and the household must have no unpaid fees. Proof is needed only for the parents, not for grandparents or siblings.
The monthly fee is ¥5,000 for Monday to Saturday and ¥3,500 for Monday to Friday. Households on public assistance or school aid pay ¥1,400 and ¥900. Injury insurance is ¥800 a year, and events and snacks add about ¥1,800 to ¥2,000 a month.
In term time the clubs are open 14:00 to 18:30 on weekdays, and from 11:00 on early-dismissal days with no school lunch. On term-time Saturdays and long school holidays they open 8:00 to 18:00 (extension to 18:30 available).
| Intake | November 1 to 30, 2026, then any time |
|---|---|
| Apply | Kosodate online application (子育てオンライン申請) |
| Closed | Sundays, national holidays, August 13 to 15, December 29 to January 4 |
| Contact | Kure City Child Support Division (こども支援課), 0823-25-3254, weekdays 8:30 to 17:15 |
| Official page | Kure City: Hokago Jidokai (Kure Kosodate Net) |
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Higashihiroshima City: Ikiiki Kodomo Club (いきいきこどもクラブ), apply online by 17:00 on November 30
Higashihiroshima City takes applications for April 2027 from Sunday, November 1 to 17:00 on Monday, November 30, 2026. You apply through the e-application on the city’s citizen portal, and you need to register on the portal first. Make one application for each child, including siblings. Intake for May and later has separate periods.
Every household member aged 18 to 69 must meet one of these: working at least 3 days from Monday to Friday, 4 hours or more a day and past 15:00; a long illness that keeps them from being home after school; long-term care of a relative; or being within 3 months before or after childbirth. To use Saturdays, all household members aged 18 to 69 must also work on Saturdays, among other conditions. From the 2027 applications, the old certificate of employment (在職証明書) is replaced by the work certificate form (就労証明書) shared with the city’s nursery applications. You need one for every household member aged 18 to 69, and self-employed people and farmers fill in the form themselves instead of a statement.
At the city’s own clubs, Monday to Friday costs ¥3,000 until 18:00 and ¥3,700 until 19:00; Monday to Saturday costs ¥4,500 until 18:00 and ¥5,400 until 19:00. Snacks and materials are ¥1,500 a month for Monday to Friday and ¥1,800 for Monday to Saturday, and there is a fee exemption system. The clubs open from after school to 19:00 on school days and 8:00 to 19:00 on days off.
Private Ikiiki Kodomo Clubs charge the same fee as the city’s clubs, but snack costs, hours and closed days vary, so you apply to each club directly.
| Intake | November 1 to 30, 2026, until 17:00 |
|---|---|
| Apply | E-application on the citizen portal (register first) |
| Closed | Sundays, national holidays, August 13 to 15, December 29 to January 3 |
| Contact | Higashihiroshima City Youth Development Division (青少年育成課), City Hall North Building 3F, 082-420-0929 |
| Official pages | Higashihiroshima City: applying for April 2027; about Ikiiki Kodomo Clubs |
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Hiroshima City: 2027 not announced; last round’s first intake was December 5 to 18
Hiroshima City has not yet announced its year-round intake for 2027 for its Hokago Jido Clubs (放課後児童クラブ). For the 2026 school year, the first round for new grades 1 to 3 ran from December 5 to 18, 2025, and the second round for new grades 1 to 6 from February 6 to 19, 2026. You apply on the city’s online form or bring the form to the club you want. Postal applications are generally not accepted, and you cannot apply to more than one club at the same time.
The child must live in Hiroshima City and attend elementary school, and a parent must be away from home for work or a similar reason on a continuing basis. The guide is 4 days or more a week (16 days or more a month), away until about 17:00; work that ends after 16:00 counts. When a club is full, younger grades come first. Each parent submits a document: employees a certificate of employment, self-employed people and farmers a work statement.
From January 2027, Hiroshima City lowers the ¥5,000 monthly fee to ¥3,000. Households on school aid, public assistance or exempt from city tax, and foster families, pay nothing; households receiving support such as the children’s medical subsidy stay at ¥3,000. From the same month, if two or more children share the household budget, the second child pays half and the third and later children are free, whether or not the older children use a club. Families whose resident record does not match how they share a budget submit a request form by November 20, 2026. Bento and snack costs are not included, and a parents’ association fee may apply.
Clubs open 13:00 to 18:30 on weekdays, 8:30 to 17:00 on Saturdays, and 8:30 to 18:30 in long school holidays and on substitute days off; for a fee, you can drop off from 8:00 (not on Saturdays). Use only in the summer, winter or March spring break is also possible. For winter 2026, the first round is November 2 to 14 and the second round November 16 to 30. Private clubs take applications directly.
| Intake | 2027 not announced (last round December 5 to 18, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Apply | City online form, or bring to the club |
| Closed | Sundays, national holidays, the city’s summer closure days, December 29 to January 4 |
| Contact | Hiroshima City After-School Measures Division (放課後対策課), 082-242-2014; in school districts with a children’s center, the ward office (地域起こし推進課) |
| Official pages | Hiroshima City: fee changes and multi-child discount; using clubs in the 2026 school year; online application |
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Fukuyama City: 2027 not announced; last round for new first graders was January 5 to February 14
Fukuyama City’s pages do not yet show 2027 information for its Hokago Jido Clubs (放課後児童クラブ). For the 2026 school year, year-round use for new first graders and spring-break-only use both ran from January 5 to February 14, 2026. Summer-only use was May 7 to June 6, and winter-only use is October 13 to November 7, 2026. To join mid-year, the deadline was the 15th of the previous month for a start in the first half of a month, and the last day of the previous month for a start in the second half.
You apply at the club you want, at the Childcare Facilities Division (weekdays 8:30 to 17:15), or at the Neuvola Center on the 8th floor of Tenmaya Fukuyama (10:00 to 18:00, closed Mondays). Branch offices do not take applications, and post is not possible because you pay the ¥500 Anshin Plan fee when you apply.
For work, parents and grandparents living with the child and under 65 on April 1, 2026 must work 3 days or more a week on average, past 15:00 for grades 1 and 2 and past 16:00 for grade 3 and up. Illness, disability, care, study or job training, and childbirth also qualify, and the line for short-term use in school breaks is 11:00. People looking for work or on childcare leave cannot apply. The fee is ¥3,000 a month, ¥1,500 for the second child in a household; running costs such as snacks are about ¥1,500 to ¥2,000 a month, paid by bank account transfer as a rule. Extended care is ¥1,000 a month at clubs that offer it.
Clubs open from after school to 18:00 on weekdays, 8:30 to 17:00 on Saturdays, and 8:30 to 18:00 on substitute days off and in spring, summer and winter breaks.
| Intake | 2027 not announced (last round January 5 to February 14, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Apply | The club, the Childcare Facilities Division, or the Neuvola Center |
| Closed | Sundays, national holidays, August 13 to 15, December 29 to January 3 |
| Contact | Fukuyama City Childcare Facilities Division (保育施設課), 084-928-1114 |
| Official page | Fukuyama City: after-school clubs, 2026 school year |
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Choosing an after-school club in Hiroshima: what differs by city
Kure and Higashihiroshima take applications in November, Hiroshima City last opened in December and Fukuyama in January. Other points also differ across the four cities:
- Saturdays: Kure has you choose Monday to Saturday or Monday to Friday when you register, a ¥1,500 difference. Higashihiroshima requires all adults in the household to work on Saturdays, among other conditions. Hiroshima City and Fukuyama open at 8:30 on Saturdays.
- Work rule: Kure asks for 15 days or more a month, Hiroshima City 4 days or more a week until about 17:00, Fukuyama 3 days a week on average, and Higashihiroshima at least 3 weekdays with 4 hours or more a day.
- Break-only use: Hiroshima City and Fukuyama have separate intakes for summer, winter and spring. These close at different times from the year-round intake, so families who need only the summer should watch those dates.
- Private clubs: Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima City also have private clubs, which take applications directly instead of through the city.
If you also have a child moving from nursery school, see Nursery School in Hiroshima for April 2027 to line up the dates.
Common questions
Can I still join in Kure after November 30? Possibly. Kure keeps taking applications after the period, but a late application may not get the place you want.
How do I apply for siblings? Higashihiroshima: one application per child. Fukuyama: documents for each child, with one original and copies for the rest. Hiroshima City: the second child pays half and the third onward is free, and from January 2027 children who do not use a club also count.
What about snack money? It is separate from the fee everywhere: about ¥1,800 to ¥2,000 a month in Kure, ¥1,500 (¥1,800 with Saturday) in Higashihiroshima, and about ¥1,500 to ¥2,000 in Fukuyama. Hiroshima City does not give an amount, and a parents’ association fee may apply.
Sources (checked October 22, 2026)
4 pages we checked
- Kure City: Hokago Jidokai (Kure Kosodate Net)
- Higashihiroshima City: Ikiiki Kodomo Club applications for April 2027, about Ikiiki Kodomo Clubs
- Hiroshima City: after-school club fee changes and multi-child discount, using after-school clubs, 2026 school year, online application, 2026 school year
- Fukuyama City: after-school clubs, 2026 school year
