Can my child go to yochien short term?

My child just turned 5 this December and wefre hoping to go to Japan 2024 spring and put my 5yo in yochien. My husband and I and our kids are all US citizens and theyfre currently applying for long term visa. (I have eijuken) In case he doesnft get long term visa, is there a school like environment where my child can go for couple months with tourist visa? How does yochien work for foreign children?

As far as I know, kindergartens in Japan are for residents - and the application process (for start in April) starts early, in the fall season, with the parents visiting the kindergarten on specific gopen to potential applicantsh days, getting information, then applying if interested. If anyone wants to sign up mid-school year/mid-term, theyfd need to have some vacancy in the first place. There are public and private ones, with the private ones possibly providing more flexibility (though more expensive).

In your case, you say you have geijukenh so I assume you either are currently living in Japan, or have lived in Japan before - you could inquire with the local gyochienh if they accept new kids mid-school-year (or late application), and also see how open they are to the idea of accepting non-Japanese speaking (I assume) children. Since you seem to be on your way to get the whole family to reside in Japan, with that prospect (even if the long-term resident status is not granted immediately), if your child is going to be a resident, there should be some way. Best wishes.

(Speaking from my experience having helped a non-Japanese family residing in Japan with getting their kid into child care ghoikuenh and then into elementary schoolc)

Nationality is typically not an issue in applying for yochien, but I'm afraid that no compulsory education is available for children 5 years old or younger. That means that kids that age don't automatically get to attend one, and each organization may have slightly different policies.

So, you need to ask/negotiate directly with the specific yochien you have in mind. Note that a lot of yochien are private organizations as opposed to public.

The good side of education not being compulsory is that you get to chose from several yochien instead of being forced to go to the specific one in your district. Look around, ask for advice from other parents of your area, and try to chose the one that suits your child the best, especially since there's a chance that your child may be attending for a longer term.

is there a school like environment where my child can go for couple months with tourist visa?

Additionally, any child is free to attend various hobby classes and play groups, often for a fee, except that a parent would usually need to accompany. You may also want to discuss at the international exchange lounge of the area you'd be living in, to see if there are any multi-cultural family groups and non-profit language lessons.