ISN Gojo Middle School — Matsumoto, Nagano
Three years of thinking in English and inquiring to a global standard.
The final stage of a bilingual, inquiry-based education that runs from preschool through to middle school.
The PIC Programme, where students take on real challenges alongside local businesses.
Message
Igor Coric
PIC Program Homeroom Teacher (Grade 6 / 7)
Hello, and thank you for your interest in ISN PIC.
The ISN PIC project was established in 2025, stemming from ISN’s desire to expand upon the experience gained in Preschool and Elementary, and offer ISN’s wonderful educational philosophies to an even wider range of students. PIC stands for Project-based, Inquiry-based, Concept-based Learning, a four-year program from Grade 6.
ISN PIC is currently the only bilingual junior high school program in Nagano prefecture. It is a meeting ground of the global and the local, combining the Japanese National Middle School curriculum with ISN’s long experience of teaching inquiry-based programs, and learning in the classroom and learning outside of it, both in nature and in collaboration with local businesses.
At ISN PIC, we are fully dedicated to approaching each student as an individual. We believe that, in order to fulfill one’s learner potential, a student should first discover their internal motivation for learning, and then follow educational activities built to accommodate it. We see ISN PIC students as life-long learners who can change the world!
Who We Are For
A world-class innovator’s spirit, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
Most lessons at Gojo Middle School are taught in English. To hold the quality of that learning, we have designed a small-group environment for students who are ready to learn in English.
Take the English and the perspective built overseas and grow them further in Nagano. As a place to continue after returning to Japan, we offer an environment where inquiry in English carries on without a break.
Students who have learned at ISN Elementary or at another international school can carry inquiry-based, English-medium learning straight into the middle school years.
Students from mainstream elementary schools are welcome where they have been working towards the level of English the school asks for. Until they reach it, our EAL (English as an Additional Language) support walks alongside them.
PIC Program
Learning does not stop at knowledge inside a classroom. Students connect with local businesses, with nature and with the world, and pursue questions they raise themselves. The Gojo Middle School curriculum is built on four pillars.
Eight projects with companies from different industries, each running for six months. Working alongside real business activity, students look at the industry’s challenges for themselves, frame questions from their own perspective, deepen their inquiry, and develop and present their own ideas.
Our curriculum carries forward the National Geographic Society’s belief that the power of inquiry and learning illuminates and protects the wonders of the world. Through English and other subjects, students discover their connection to the world and build the capacity to empathise with it.
The Ministry of Education’s junior high school curriculum is essential for students aiming for a public or private high school. We take its principal elements as the guide for building the PIC curriculum, and Japanese language, mathematics, social studies and science are also taught in Japanese.
Sport on the mountains, rivers and lakes; growing food and cooking it. We treat outdoor activity not as simply an enjoyable break, but as a place of learning that builds focus, teamwork, problem-solving and resilience.
PIC Outline
From the thinking behind the programme through to the annual plan, the weekly schedule, graduation paths, applications and tuition — the whole picture of PIC in one document.
Please note that this is not the final version and is subject to change.
If it does not display here, use “Open in a new tab”. On a smartphone it opens in a new tab.
Mornings are Monthly Concept Learning in English. Afternoons are Japanese language, mathematics, social studies and science in Japanese, followed by individual study. Fridays are given to activities out in nature.
| Time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:45 – 09:00 | Morning meeting | ||||
| 09:00 – 12:30 | Monthly Concept Learning | Monthly Concept Learning | Monthly Concept Learning | Monthly Concept Learning | Activities in nature |
| 12:30 – 13:20 | Lunch and break | ||||
| 13:25 – 13:35 | Cleaning time | ||||
| 13:40 – 14:35 | Learning in Japanese | Learning in Japanese | Learning in Japanese | Learning in Japanese | Individual study |
| 14:40 – 15:35 | Individual study | ||||
* Some of the content may change.
A selection of the events and activities that make use of the four seasons in Shinshu.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Alumni — Where They Are Now
The ability ISN sets out to build — to choose for yourself and reach the world in your own words — how does it carry into what comes next? Here it is, in the graduates’ own words.
Ryan
ISN Alumni
Kaisei High School
Kaisei High School, Tokyo
Taro
Presenting in English has never fazed me, and that is down to ISN. From a young age, making my own slides and speaking in front of people in English was simply part of the day. Only later did I realise how much those six years had pushed me forward.
Matsumoto Shuho
Matsumoto Shuho, Year 1
Ryu
The foundation in English I built at ISN has become my own strength. Being able to reach information from around the world under my own power — that feeling is what carries my learning forward.
Senior High School
Senior high school, focusing on club activities
Yuki
The English I learned at ISN is one of the things holding me up today. It became a real strength in my entrance exams too. Being able to learn in that environment is genuinely rare, and I think it is a great opportunity.
Tokyo Gakugei Int’l
Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School
Yumi
Every day was fun. Nature is close by in Matsumoto, and I feel that running around in the mountains as a child is what widened the way I think now. With English, I can go and find information in sources from abroad myself.
Tuition & Fees
So that you can judge education as an investment that returns a result, every cost is published here.
| Item | Amount | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration fee | ¥30,000 | On application | Non-refundable once paid, including if enrolment is cancelled. |
| Tuition (monthly) | ¥98,000 / month | End of the preceding month | |
| Transfer fee | ¥165 / month | Debited the following month | |
| Lunch | ¥850 / day | Debited the following month | Bento from an outside caterer (optional). Students otherwise bring their own lunch. |
| Facilities fee | ¥125,000 / year | Once a year, in March of the preceding school year | Non-refundable once paid. |
| School bus | Please contact us | End of the preceding month | |
| EAL support | ¥2,500 / session | Debited two months later | For students joining mid-year or needing English support, until they reach the score and level the school asks for. |
| After-school programme | Please contact us | End of the preceding month | |
| Uniform | Around ¥40,000 | On application | Imported directly from the United Kingdom. |
Our Team
The people who walk alongside each student’s inquiry.
Rie Kuribayashi
Founder and Head of School
After graduating from high school, she studied in the UK, earning a degree in Early Childhood Psychology and English Language Teaching at the University of Buckingham, and later obtaining an MBA from the University of Birmingham.
She has been involved in child education based on the British curriculum and worked as an international trader at an investment bank in Casablanca, Morocco. While participating in volunteer activities delivering supplies to remote areas, she collaborated with local kindergarten professionals to operate and consult for kindergartens based on the French curriculum.
After 14 years abroad, she returned to Japan and founded the International School of Nagano in 2012. In 2015, the school introduced the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and became officially accredited in 2017.
Currently, ISN operates multiple campuses, including the Minami Matsumoto Campus, the Shimauchi Campus, the Gojo Elementary and Middle School Campus, the Nagano Campus, the Nakano Campus, and the Nakano HUBLIC Childcare Support Center. A new campus in Saku Kirihara is scheduled to open in April 2026.
She serves as the Chairperson of the International School of Nagano School Corporation and the Principal of the ISN Gojo Campus.
Her qualifications include:
・Licensed Nursery Teacher
・Level 1 Psychological Counselor
・Level 1 Coaching Certification
・Level 2 in Transactional Analysis
・Certified in Parenting Coaching
・Instructor for Team Building & Communication Workshops
Igor Coric
PIC Program Homeroom Teacher (Grade 6 / 7)
Igor comes from the beautiful European country of Croatia. After finishing his Master's studies, he moved to Japan with the wish of studying Japanese language. He has been working at ISN for 7 years, mainly as a Homeroom teacher for Elementary School students, before taking on the position of Head of Minami Matsumoto campus. He is dedicated to continuously developing his knowledge of the IB PYP program, and creating an environment where every student's opinions are heard and uniqueness is appreciated.
Ayuko Hamade
Grade 6 Japanese/Math Teacher
I studied Mathematics Education at Hokkaido University of Education.
In addition to supporting students academically, I believe it is important to value the growth and development of each individual child. I also hope to build trusting relationships with students through open and active communication.
In my free time, I enjoy listening to music and playing the bass. I also love staying active and playing sports.
Ranta Arai
Office Staff
Ranta is a dedicated office staff member at Gojo Campus with experience in both education and hospitality. Having taught English to children and worked in customer-facing roles in Japan, he is committed to supporting families and creating smooth communication between parents and the school. Raised in both Japan and the U.S., he understands the challenges of learning English and is passionate about helping students achieve language proficiency. He also oversees admissions, ensuring a welcoming and efficient process for all.
Atsushi Yahagi
Director of Corporate Affairs Elementary / PIC Program (Grade 6 / 7)
Atsushi graduated from the Rikkyo University, Japan with a Bachlor of Arts, Sociology in 2005. He has worked in Japan and the United States as a stage manger and a professional modern dancer. Atsushi also worked as a rehabilitation training teacher at TAI Chiropractic, PLLC in the United States. He currently works in administration and public relations for ISN.
Tadashi Arata
Bus Driver
Born in Chikuhoku Village, Nagano Prefecture. Graduated from Ikeda Technical High School, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
He likes tinkering with machinery and is good at repairing and maintaining cars and agricultural equipment.He also likes to grow various vegetables at home.
He holds a large class 2 license, an automobile mechanic license, forklift driving skills, small vehicle construction machinery, arc welding, grinding wheel handling, operation manager, and maintenance manager qualifications.
Yoshiko Makiyama
G7 Japanese Teacher
She graduated The Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College, she has taught library education in high schools and elementary schools. One such example is running the Nagano Prefecture BiblioBattle for high school students.
Later, She studied education at Tamagawa University and worked at a one-on-one tutoring school, helping students from elementary to junior high school.
She likes movies. She often goes to Higashiza in Shiojiri, a very retro movie theater. It shows retro movies.
Mika Jongerius
PIC Office Support / Marketing
Mika spent three years in Sydney, Australia. She went to a technical school in Sydney to study international tourism. She worked in the local area and also helped and supported many international students. After graduating from this school, she worked as an English teacher in an English language school for two years. During this time she taught students from age two to adults. She currently works in administration at Minami campus.
Admission Process
Visits and briefings are handled individually. You see lessons and students as they actually are, and we talk through the curriculum, the fees and the level of English expected.
Times: weekdays from 9:15 or 15:00 Tel: 0263-87-8418 (Gojo Campus)
Applications usually open in September and close once the places are filled. Where English support is needed, we set out a learning plan that includes EAL support.
Once the registration fee is confirmed we send the letter of acceptance. Fees are debited from your account automatically each month.
FAQ
Because most lessons are taught in English, we assume a working foundation for learning in English. Where a student has not yet reached the score and level the school asks for, our EAL (English as an Additional Language) support walks alongside them until they do. Start with a personal visit and tell us where their English is now and what you are aiming for.
The Ministry of Education’s junior high school curriculum is an important foundation for students aiming for a public or private high school. Gojo Middle School is designed to fulfil that curriculum completely, taking its principal elements as the guide for our own, and Japanese language, mathematics, social studies and science are studied in Japanese as well. Students aiming for a high school in Japan apply and sit entrance exams through the public middle school they are enrolled in, like any other student. For students who wish to study abroad for high school, we offer support in preparing for that too. We approach each student’s wishes individually and support them on whichever path they choose.
Gojo Middle School is a free school operated by WIP LLC. We explain the details of how enrolment and attendance are handled at your personal visit, in light of your family’s own situation.
Yes. A good number of families have chosen to move here. We also take enquiries about relocating to the Matsumoto area individually. A school bus runs from Akashina Station, so please raise the question of catchment at your personal visit.
Visit Us
Better than any brochure is the sight of students inquiring in English.
Personal visits are open all year round (by appointment).
Ask us on LINE or by form
Message us on LINEAdd the official ISN LINE account as a friend and send us a message