Posted by Do you love drawing animation? Are you ready to take your skills to the next level? Then, why don’t you apply to the best animation schools in Japan? Frankly speaking, you can say that animation originated in Japan, making it the best country to study this course in. Furthermore, these schools equip students with the best skills and lessons to become experts in this field.
What’s more, if you have ever dreamed of visiting Japan, this is an excellent opportunity. So, keep reading to find out some of the best animation schools that you can apply to and attend in Japan.
15 Best Animation Schools in Japan
The excellent courses offered by different animation schools in Japan can help build your career in graphic design and the digital art industry. Some of these animation schools, surprisingly, offer low-cost tuition to international students from all over the world. Here are some of the best animation schools in Japan:
1. Tokyo Designer Gakuin
This is the top school on our list of the best animation schools in Japan. This animation school is a vocational school that provides an outstanding animation course and specializations under several departments such as illustration, graphic design, comic illustration, visual image design, product design, manga, figure design, architecture design, and so on.
2. Sapporo College of Anime
This is a prestigious animation and graphics school in Japan. This animation school focuses on anime and manga illustration. It doesn’t offer courses like gaming design and programming. In this animation school, students can easily meet like-minded students and share ideas that can help them in the industry.
International students can apply for this course or any other course in Sapporo, such as anime song, comic illustration, manga major, voice acting major, or animation.
3. Aoba-Japan International School
Aoba-Japan International School is one of the best animation schools in Japan. This school has two campuses in Meguro and Hikargoaka, and students can apply to either of them. This animation school offers the same programs, but the school environment is different.
This is one important factor to look out for before sending your application to ensure that the environment fits your needs. This animation school also accepts international students and makes use of an international curriculum to build future leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the fields of animation design, game design, and voice acting.
4. Tokyo University of the Arts
Tokyo University of the Arts is a renowned art school in Japan that offers programs in animation and other genres of illustration and design. This school is a public school in Taito, Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Ibaraki, Adachi, Kanagawa, Yokohama, and Kitasenju, all in Tokyo.
Tokyo University of the Arts offers courses from undergraduate to postgraduate degrees. This university is divided into the faculties of music, and fine arts and the graduate schools of fine arts, film, music, and new media. It also offers scholarships and financial aid to students to reduce their tuition fees and encourage them to chase their dreams.
5. Osaka Amusement Media College
Osaka Amusement College is among the best animation schools in Japan. This school is located in Nishinakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka. The college was established to train and develop your skills in different art forms that range from voice acting and animation to character design and game programming.
Osaka Amusement Media College also offers innovative programs through several departments to improve your skills and develop your abilities to make you the best in your country.
6. Yoyogi Animation Academy
Yoyogi Animation Academy is one of Japan’s largest animation and art schools with a renowned reputation. This school is among the best animation schools in Japan, and its courses are taught in Japanese. You must fully understand Japanese to be able to attend this school.
This school has campuses in Wakayama, Miyazaki, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, Miyazaki, Tokyo, Nagoya, Hachioji, and Osaka. Each campus has its own features and courses taught separately. Some of the courses include illustration, digital animation artist, animation AV operator, and multimedia creator.
7. Kyoto Seika University
Kyoto Seika University is a private university located in Iwakura, Kyoto, Japan, and it is famous for its quality academic offerings in animation. This university is focused on animation education and has faculties of arts, manga, design, popular culture, graduate schools, and humanities.
It trains and equips students with enough skills to become successful animators and manga illustrators in the future. It offers courses such as comic art, animation, oil painting, digital design, cartoon art, and graphic design. Furthermore, all its courses are taught in Japanese, and international students can apply to this college,
8. Amusement Media School
Amusement Media School was founded in 1993 in Shibuya, Tokyo, and continues to provide quality academic offerings and innovative curriculum to meet the students’ needs. It offers training programs in different genres of design, such as animation, manga illustration, graphics design, and voiceover.
Amusement Media School equips students with up-to-date animation design techniques and connects them to a professional network of successful individuals in the field to obtain business ideas that can benefit them.
9. College of International Design
This is among the best animation schools in Japan. It is famous for its quality and standardized courses on animation. It is one of the manga schools in Japan that provides a two-year program as well as a three-year distance learning program. Furthermore, it also offers collaborative activities that go beyond the classroom.
10. Toei Animation Institute
Toei Animation Institute is yet another outstanding animation school in Japan. However, this animation school has the world-class ability to create incomparable sales and development power. It also offers one of the best animation courses in all of Japan and has an excellent reputation.
It is owned by Toei, and the company has produced several series such as Gegege no Kitaro, Sally the Witch, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Digimon, Saint Seiya, and many more.
11. Tokyo Media Academy
Tokyo Media Academy is an animation school that offers support to make students’ dreams come true. It offers a two-year animation course with a voice artist. In addition, the school enrolls 155 students per year. Its tuition fee ranges from 50,000 yen to 300,000 yen.
12.Fukuoka Design College
Located in Fukuoka, Japan, this animation school is one of the most prestigious schools among Japan’s national universities. It was founded in April 1968, and it combines the disciplines of industrial design, architecture, visual communication, design, and art information design.
It provides courses in CG animation, shop design, graphic design, editing design, furniture design, illustration, and character design, among others.
13.Kodansha Culture Center
This animation school was established in 1993 in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a multimedia school that offers course systems in several entertainment fields, such as manga, animators, game creators, computer and graphic designers, and voice actors.
14. Japan Manga Institute
Nihon Manga Gakuin is one of Japan’s prestigious animator schools. It has seven faculties and 35 academic departments. There are several choices for students when it comes to majoring in what they are interested in.
The school’s intensity gives students the ideal balance between study pace and free time. This also means that students will be able to enjoy their lives in Japan while studying.
15. Sapporo College of Anime
This is one of the best animation schools in Japan that provides quality programs for national and international students. You need to have a high school degree before you can apply for any course at this school.
In addition, it has three departments, such as the Department of Entertainment General, the Department of Creative Design Course, and the Department of Digital Technology.
How to Apply for Animation School in Japan
To apply to any animation school in Japan, you need to visit their official website. Submit the requested details and pay the application fee. Afterwards, you wait for their response. It is best to contact the animation school of your choice because most schools teach in Japanese and expect their students to be fluent in the language.