Can I visit Japan high school as traveler?

Hello, I'm Tong from Thailand. I have a question to ask you.

In june, I'll travel to japan with my friend and I like to travel to high school in japan. I like to see japan's student culture. Something like this.

So, Is it possible to visit Japan high school ? If yes, what school that allow travelers to visit?

Thanks for all answers.

Are you a high school student?

If you are an adult, I don't think it would be a good idea to ask to visit high schools. I work in a high school in Australia, and we would be very concerned about random tourists asking to visit the school, when they are not in the education business. It's a very strange request.

Stick to documentaries.

It's not a strange request at all, and high schools accept visitors of various kind if the reasons are appropriate. Try asking the administration at the entrance, or better, ask a school in advance. But keep in mind that schools might be doing term exams in June. In that case, they can't be bothered very much, and students will go home before lunch. But still, they might let you look around some parts of the empty school. However, you can't enter premises without permission.

High school is NOT a sightseeing spot.

It is impossible to enter without special permission of school officials.
https://i.imgur.com/wBaMvnJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/y6pYyXn.png
https://i.imgur.com/jn1rFg7.jpg

Specifically, what do you want to know?
https://goo.gl/HbxyyY

Maybe it's different in Japan, but here in Australia we'd probably file a police report on the person who made the request. If you're not in the education business, and say you just want to "sightsee" in the school, we'd be concerned about a pedophilia background.

Why on earth would a tourist want to visit a high school in another country? What information couldn't they get from documentaries, news articles, other media? Unless they're in the education business, and it's for professional development, it's a really weird request. It's like being a tourist in a hospital.

Nuttapol,

Hi again. Schools are free to contact the police for whatever reason, but they cannot file police reports just because someone made a "request" to visit there.

When making your request, say that you want to "kengaku" (do a technical visit) instead of "sightsee". Or better, you can even say that you want to do a "gakkou-kengaku" (school visit).

If it were autumn, there will be more high school festivals that welcome all. It would indeed help if you ask your own city to see if there are any sister organizations that help you do your school visit.

And if it so happens that nothing works, you can randomly visit a university, because most universities are accessible to all people without permission.

Frankly, I find it hard to understand people thinking that school visits in Japan are such an odd thing to hope for when there is so much student exchange going on. Again, the OP is not trying to enter a school ground without permission. The following Japanese language website reporting about what high school students' ideas were awarded when thinking about how they can welcome foreign tourists. Maybe you can just try and contact them.
http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/cnt/f80022/p994855.html

you may enter school in the days of •¶‰»�Õ or ‘̈ç�Õ, because those days are generally open to public.
but, you can't enter school in ordinary school (educational) days.
school will not give a permission to ordinary unknown persons (including Japanese and foreigners).

I don't think high schools accept a random stranger who want to visit just for curiosity without any introduction from a reliable person.
It's been more strict than 40 years ago.

I've written all I need to write including the info on a year 2015 award, and I have nothing else to say. I just hope the OP has a good time in Japan!

"Maybe it's different in Japan, but here in Australia we'd probably file a police report on the person who made the request. If you're not in the education business, and say you just want to "sightsee" in the school, we'd be concerned about a pedophilia background."

Jesus, what exactly kind of area do you live in? Who on Earth would feel the need to ring the cops just because someone ask to see your school? Not sure if this applies for Australia as a whole or just your city.

In my state, most high schools allow visitors (tourists or not) to visit the school, as long as they don't cause trouble. I have also traveled to Vietnam and they didn't seem to mind having strangers visiting the school and talking to the students.

@Uco

I understand your point but my daughter is on a Japanese high school and there are rules for just walking in. OP as to make on appointment because there are concerns. As a tourist there are some public school days that the school is open but since OP is still not related to the school in any way and appointment are asking permission is appreciated.

I understand your point

I'm afraid you don't, but that's okay. I'm resigning from this thread.

Let me put in my 2cent on this discussion. I don't live in Japan but i do travel to Japan, i can only speak from my experience and what i know.

i believe visiting a school or college/university rules apply the same way worldwide. Once you walk on school/campus ground you go the the main office and state your attention before they allow you to move freely around school ground.

I have never visited a school in Japan, but i have visited 3 colleges. The first two i was escorted by a guy who graduated the school and another was attending the school. When i visited University of Tokyo i walk onto there campus without any issues. To play it safe, i went back out, check in with campus security/police and they allowed me to continue work freely.

i remember my first visit to Japan. Before going i did my did my homework ask questions and got all my information from YouTubers videos before i found Japan-Guide. Here what i learn, 1, there is a lot of people who know about countries but they never been there or they have visited and only have limited information. 2 people who don't really know how things work in that country knows more than the person who lives there. and 3 don't fully take advice from people who have limited information of that country or people who never been there, use there advice as recommendation.

My mistake was i believe 100% and listen to the to the people who comment than listing to Youtubers. when i arrived to Japan, the YouTubers who lived in Japan, was right. Aldo there was a business guy who was married to a Japanese woman who live in the state, same city as me. When he found out i was going to Japan we talk and he told me little things we do here, i should not do while in Japan, example crossing the street during a red light. I was like no way, shut up but it was true.

My point is to the OP Nuttapol, listen to the people who live in Japan, Uco knows what she talking about also she lives there and Ken comment is good too. Uco post clearly helps you on how to get permission to access and move about school ground freely i hard the same thing.
The Australia person only going by how things work in Australia, they work at a in Australia school, but not a school in Japan and not a high school in Japan. The Australia person do bring up a good point because you can get flag as i suspicious person depending how freely the school allow outside visitors to come on school ground.

@Australia person, like Uco said, "It's not a strange request at all" i think the OP Nuttapol is a anime fan and because of that he wants to visit a high school. All Anime fans who visit Japan wants to visit a high school in Japan.

lol. i absolutely dont see the connection between being an anime fan and wanting to visit a highschool...
whaaat?????

well i guess OP should make more clear WHY he wants to visit a highschool. to see how things are taught ? to compare education systems? to evaluate school-equipment? to interview students about certain topics / social studies? to find a proper place for his own kids to study? or because of anime? (????)

I was born, raised in Japan and went to Japanese public schools.
What Uco says makes me doubt she knows something about this country and current situation.
(I've graduated high school long before the case mentioned below, but even when I was a student, security was tight.)

Here is the same question but from a Japanese person who wonders if he can visit a school to which he is not related at all.
https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1495872679
And a high school teacher answers:
We don't accept unrelated people's visit. It's for students' safety.
If we find such a person who is in our school without permission, we stop him and question what he is doing here. If he doesn't a proper reason, we ask him to get out. If he doesn't follow the order, we'll call the police. (We are told to do it with the fire alarm button by the police.)
I don't think you have any evil intention but after the Ikeda primary school case, we have dealt with such visits more strictly.

* Ikeda primary school case = A guy stepped into a school, killed 8 children and injured 15 in 2001.

And I don't think they find it an appropriate reason for inviting a stranger without any introduction from a reliable guarantor that he wants to roam around in the school just because he likes anime and wants to take a look at a real school to make sure it's the same as the schools in anime.