Kyoto International School

Thanks to its rich 53-year history, Kyoto International School has alumni all over the world. Since 1957 KIS has served the international community in Kyoto. The families of visiting scholars, educators, artists, missionaries and business people have benefited from their time at KIS. Here is a small selection of people who have been touched by the KIS experience:

Flurina Simeon, Switzerland (former KIS Student)
KIS served me very well and I’m still in contact with some people and have visited with people all over the globe. Both English and Japanese at near-native levels have helped me in my career and, more importantly, in terms of my own personality.

Elly Hart, UK (former KIS Student)
The fact that I was able to learn in many different ways: I was able to physically touch and see what one would normally only see in a textbook. I think this is something very few schools offer, but it is vital, important, educational as well as enjoyable. I had the best years of my life at KIS—education-wise, experience-wise and enjoyment-wise.

Laurel Fais, USA (PhD, University of British Columbia, former KIS Teacher)
I have been in education for over 25 years and I can truly say that the teachers I taught with at KIS were some of the most caring, professional, well-qualified and skilled educators I have ever had the privilege of working with.

Aileen Smith, (Environmental and Peace Researcher and Activist)
KIS plays an important role in expanding the international aspects of Kyoto’s contribution to world culture.

Theodore Bestor, USA (Professor of Anthropology, Reishauer Institute, Harvard University, formerly Visiting Director at the Kyoto Center for Japan Studies)
KIS was (and presumably still is) an absolutely wonderful educational resource. My personal opinion is that KIS was a life-transforming experience for our son Nick, and from our perspectives as KIS parents, the community of both gaijin and Kyoto-jin that formed around KIS was a really wonderful and intriguing group of people. In many ways, KIS was the highlight and centerpiece of that year we spent in Kyoto…Our son Nick wants to major in Japanese and film studies; it is clear that the year in Kyoto and the KIS experience really shaped his interests and sense of possibilities.

Ellen Oppenheimer, USA (Textile artist and recipient of a US-Japan Artist in Residence Scholarship)
We all think of our time in Kyoto frequently and with great memories. KIS was actually a significant factor in my decision to live in Kyoto when I received the US Japan Friendship Foundation Creative Arts Fellowship. Although I knew that I wanted to live in Kyoto the openness and flexibility of KIS cemented my decision. I was considering many different cities in Japan but I ultimately choose Kyoto over other places because I felt that KIS was the best educational option for our eleven year old son, Ari. We were very pleased with the school. Incidentally when Ari returned to California and took the standardized tests his scores were excellent.

Stephen C. Worth, USA (Musician)
I can’t imagine a better learning environment for my child. Were I to live in Kyoto again, I would not hesitate to enroll my 5 year-old daughter in KIS.