KAIS International School is one of Japan’s most innovative and academically distinguished international schools. Conveniently located in central Tokyo, we have been serving the international community since 2006. At KAIS, our students learn in small classes in a family-like atmosphere, where they develop their connectedness to others while exploring who they are as individuals. We believe self-awareness, curiosity, and empathy are vital in the development of the adults who will shape the future, and everything we do aims to support this.
personalized and tight-knit
Cozy Classrooms
Small class sizes allow more opportunities for our students to engage in hands-on projects, receive individual attention from instructors, present their work to their peers, and participate in discussions. Our dedicated team of teachers is focused on engaging our students in the optimal high school experience both in and out of the classroom. While most of our students go on to study at top universities in the United States, we present our curriculum to our diverse student body from a global perspective. We invite you to come see our unique and vibrant school for yourself!
Tommy was born and raised near Chicago, IL, where he attended Loyola Academy. He went on to study at Southern Illinois University, with a major in Secondary English Education and a minor in Speech / Communications. Mr. House taught American and British Literature at a local high school in rural southern Illinois before moving to Tokyo over a decade ago. He has been a dedicated teacher & administrator at KAIS since the school's second year. An enthusiast of designing and teaching multidisciplinary curriculum, Tommy is a firm believer in hands-on, curiosity-based education. “When students are engaged, active learners, ‘transformative learning’ can take the place of ‘informative learning’. This should always be our goal as educators, as it is where real growth takes place.” Tommy is an avid runner, snowboarder, and musician.
A Canadian native, Laura hails from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University and a Bachelor’s in Education from Queen’s University. Since starting at KAIS in 2011, she has taught a wide spectrum of classes from Leadership to Language Arts and World Cultures. She is committed to fostering a school community and to helping students connect to people and cultures outside of KAIS. Laura enjoys hiking, reading, and going on adventures with her young son.
Misako Horikawa was born and raised in Tokyo. She studied English from a young age and focused on Japanese Literature in university. From her experience in international exchange as a member of the Girl Scouts when she was young, she has aspired to act as a liaison between people from different countries in order to improve communications and understanding. She taught English to children from kindergarten to high school before she began working at KAIS. Misako is a huge fan of the arts, particularly music and movies. Misako derives great satisfaction from helping the students of KAIS become independent and reflective members of both the local and global community.
Tsuchi was born and raised in Miyazaki prefecture of Kyushu island. He moved to Tokyo in 1997 and entered Waseda University, where he majored in English literature, Japanese Literature, and Philosophy. He started teaching Japanese grammar and literature at KAIS International School in 2012. In grammar class, Tsuchi also exposes his students to Japanese culture, allowing them to participate in Japanese society more deeply. In his spare time, Tsucchi is the lead singer, guitarist and manager of Metro-Ongen, a popular indie rock band which performs regularly all around Tokyo.
Fabio Frescia is an environmental engineer from Italy. He has been living in Asia for the past 13 years and he loves this part of the world. His wife is Japanese and he has two wonderful boys. Fabio loves to cook and travel. Music is one of his passions, as is playing football--he participates in a men's football league in Yokohama. As an environmental engineer, Mr. Frescia has not only studied and practiced mathematics and science, but also has a keen interest in these subject areas. He wishes to use his wealth of knowledge and experience in these fields to inspire a similar enthusiasm in KAIS students. Fabio joined the KAIS Family in 2020 as a STEM teacher and he is looking forward to many fulfilling moments of teaching and learning with his students and colleagues!
Will was born in Delaware, USA. He majored in Social Studies Education and has worked at International Schools in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and now–Japan! He has taught history, geography, business and everything else humanities-related. He enjoys trivia, strategy games, baseball, horse racing and overthinking too much. He is already enjoying his time at KAIS, and looks forward to what lies ahead.
Em is a popular Tokyo-based yoga instructor known for her classes at Sun & Moon Yoga and KAIS International School. Prior to moving to Japan, Em performed and taught contemporary dance to both children and adults in the UK. She started teaching dance at the age of 15 as an assistant at the dance school she was attending. She was introduced to yoga through her dance studies at The Laban School for Contemporary Dance and Middlesex University and yoga became her passion while living in Tokyo. She is currently training to be a health counselor with a specialty in nutrition.
Sarah was born and raised in Fremont, California, which is located just outside of San Francisco. She moved south to San Diego to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Counseling and School Psychology at San Diego State University. Her passion for helping others combined with her love for working in schools motivated her to pursue a career as a school counselor. She continued her education at the University of San Diego, where she received her M.A. in School-Based Clinical Counseling. Sarah believes in creating a counseling culture that provides unconditional support for students to achieve personal, emotional, social, and academic self-fulfillment. She loves traveling, trying new foods, reading, leisurely walking, and spending time with family and friends!
Nurse Miyuki was born and raised right here in Tokyo, Japan. In High school, she went to England as an exchange student to study English. After this life-enriching experience, Miyuki-san went on to study nursing. She joined KAIS in 2021 after working as a nurse at a university hospital, a home health care agency, and a nursery school. She is happy to be involved with and caring for young people through nursing. As a mother of two mischievous children, Miyuki enjoys cooking, engaging in winter sports, playing soccer and basketball, and dancing with her family.
Emma was born and raised in Massachusetts in the United States and lived in Washington, DC before moving to Japan. She earned a degree in History and Education from Wake Forest University in North Carolina and later a Master's Degree in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership from the University of Illinois. Beginning her career as a Social Studies teacher, Emma found her way to Admissions eight years ago in a search to explore different perspectives of working in the most dynamic, enlivening, and curious places on Earth - schools. Emma enjoys travel and modes of transportation, food and restaurant culture, and urban landscapes and architecture.
Jackson grew up in London, later completing a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering at the University of Warwick and a PGCE in Secondary Science Education at UCL’s Institute of Education. For the past 5 years, he has worked in various locations throughout London specializing in home education and the teaching of small groups. A love of learning underpins all aspects of Jackson's life and he hopes to inspire this love of learning in his students during his time at KAIS. Outside of the classroom, Jackson enjoys winter sports, hiking, skating, and tabletop gaming.
While Brooke was born in San Diego, California, she has lived in various parts of the United States. Her mother is Japanese and from Tokyo, Japan while her father is American from the state of Georgia. Brooke went on to study Chemical and Materials Engineering at California State Polytechnic University, where she was a researcher in various fields.
Before working at KAIS, Brooke worked as an aerospace engineer with focus in metallurgy. As a STEM teacher, she hopes to instill passion into her students and point to real life applications for the concepts she teaches in the classroom. In her free time, Brooke enjoys anime, video games, and weightlifting.
Before working at KAIS, Brooke worked as an aerospace engineer with focus in metallurgy. As a STEM teacher, she hopes to instill passion into her students and point to real life applications for the concepts she teaches in the classroom. In her free time, Brooke enjoys anime, video games, and weightlifting.
Abbey, born and raised in the middle of nowhere in Ohio, holds two teaching licenses, allowing her to educate in both art and English. With eight years of experience, she has taught in the United States as well as in Japan, showcasing her versatility and dedication to the field of education. Her educational journey began at the University of Arizona, where she completed her BA in Art and Visual Culture Education, laying the groundwork for her teaching profession. She pursued her passion further, achieving an MA in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism from Azusa Pacific University. This comprehensive educational background, paired with her teaching experience, underscores Abbey's commitment to nurturing creativity and fostering a deep understanding of art and art history within her students. In her spare time, Abbey enjoys photography, ceramics, going to shrines and temples for Goshuin, and is also interested in films and film theory.
Meet Coach Brenn, the new Fitness & Nutrition teacher and Athletic Director at KAIS. Brenn recently joined the school community after moving from the Philippines, where he developed a strong passion for outdoor recreation and multi-sport. Brenn strongly believes that sports and physical activity are essential for developing physical and mental well-being, as well as valuable life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and perseverance. As an educator, his mission is to instill a love for sports and physical activity in all his students, regardless of their level of ability.
since 2006
History
KAIS International School was founded in 2006 by Jonathan Yaffe and Charles Knudsen. The school started out in a small house in Jiyugaoka, and moved to Meguro in 2009. While we’ve grown in size over the years, we have never aspired to become a large school – we wanted to create the school we wished we went to, a place where students love learning. We believe smaller classes, hands-on learning, and balance between disciplines is a key component in our students’ growth and development. The mission of KAIS has always been to provide students with a holistic education – one that emphasizes the academic, the creative, and the physical.