15 Best Animation Schools In Japan 2024 [UPDATED]

Talking about the Best Animation Schools in Japan 2024, the animation program is highly regarded, especially in Japan, has been the focus of attention in most schools, and has also provided job opportunities to so many youths.

Japan, as a country, has the best animation colleges you might think of. Japanese animation colleges have become the focus of attention all around the world. You can also learn 180+ Basic Japanese Phrases for a complete beginner.

For students to create inspiring animation for the next generation, they need to understand the animation’s distinctive characteristics and also learn computer graphic techniques, which are indispensable for today’s animation.

However, in this article, we will give you all the detailed information about the best animation schools in Japan, or, let’s just say, the best animation colleges in Japan, and the courses they offer.

What is animation?

According to Wikipedia, animation is a method in which pictures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film.

About Anime (Japanese Animation)

Japan began producing animation in 1917, which is also called anime. In recent years, Japanese animation has become popular around the world and has the best animation colleges.

Veteran Yamaguchi Yasuo has been in animation production for half a century. Most importantly, domestic anime production at the beginning had a small but solid foundation.

When Tokyo and its surrounding area suffered catastrophic damage in the Great Kantō Earthquake in 1923, one of the things that helped them find their niche was anime production for public relations and publicity campaigns by public institutions.

The earliest known animated film was made in France in 1906, titled Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, and was made from chalk pictures.

Throughout the last century, animation has been used for entertainment and to tell stories that invoke emotion. Today, most animations are made with computer-generated imagery (CGI). 

Computer animation can be very detailed 3D animation, while 2D computer animation can be used for stylistic reasons, low bandwidth, or faster real-time renderings.

What are the types of animation techniques?

There are different types of animation techniques that can be used to create a better brand image.

Traditional Animation

Traditional animation involved animators drawing by hand for each and every frame. If you love the feel of pencils on paper, then the traditional approach is fascinating.

Traditional animation involves creating drawings one by one on the frame. Examples of traditional animation movies are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, and Aladdin.

Computer animation, 2D and 3D: The famous Mickey Mouse animation was created using the 2D animation technique.

2-D Animation

Creating animations in 2-dimensional space with the help of digital technologies is known as digital 2D animation. You don’t need to create digital models; you just need to draw the frames.

Creating 100 drawings and animating them to show some kind of movement is technically known as digital 2D animation. Using Adobe Flash, animators can limit the number of drawings used, which makes it easier to create digital 2D animation.

Small variations like changing the color or frame rate can be changed almost instantly, thus making it easier for the animators to work on.

Digital 3D Animation

If you are interested in making unreal characters into realistic ones, then it’s digital 3D animation. Digital 3D animation characters are much faster to create and are quite popular in the movie-making industry.

Using computer software to create 3D animated images to create many short films, full-length movies, and even TV commercials and a career in digital 3D animation is highly rewarding.

Compared to 2D animation and the traditional approach, 3D animation models are highly realistic.

Stop-motion Animation

Have you ever wondered if a piece of stone could walk or talk? Well, anything is possible in animation.

Using frame-by-frame animation, physical static objects are moved around, and during post-production, they are shown in fluid movement.

Stop-motion animation has been around ever since the evolution of puppets. There were many movies created using the stop-motion method; some of the finest examples are “Fun in a Bakery Shop,” created in 1902.

Motion Graphics

These are used in bigger multimedia projects with a more extensive scope for image and text creation.

The text and the photos are creatively displayed in this animation to create an illusion of movement through innovative thoughts

Mechanical Animation

Instead of robotics, machines can be animated by using the mechanical animation technique. And instead of creating the original machine, creating these mechanical animations, allows the animator to understand how the machine works.

What Is the Importance of Animation Studies?

Animation is an art that plays a very vital role in the business world as well as touches the lives of the general public and has been used in different forms since 1906.

• Presentation Skills: Animation provides an interactive platform that encourages learners to give captivating, engaging class presentations and not worry about their students dozing off at the back of the class while their classmates are studying. Animation is a perfect way to motivate students to put more effort into their presentations, creating slide shows, visual explanations of ideas, and visually connecting with their audience, an important skill for the future.
• Flexibility: Another advantage of animation in teaching is that it is an interactive system that can be incorporated for different subjects in various locations. Whether working at home, in class, or in a library, a learner can access valuable animated videos that can encourage learning.
• Animation Doesn’t Have an Age Limit: Learning through animation has no age limit; it can be used in early childhood, in primary and high schools, and even in universities. The increase in the number of popular TV animated series for even grown-ups shows that this is a medium that appeals to older people as well.
• Self-expression: Most learners find it difficult to express themselves. Animation makes it easier to tell stories and communicate emotions and ideas in unique and conventional forms like drawing and painting, and it can also be fun for some students.

Reasons Why People Prefer Animation Study

• Growing Field: A career in animation is growing strong and will continue to get stronger because the future depends on it, It’s a growing field and in high demand. Not one, but many big industries want to hire animators to work for them. These industries include the medicine industry, law industry, film industry, architecture industry, etc.
• Showcase Your Talent on a Global Scale: A person working as an animator isn’t restricted to a local audience. You will get a chance to connect globally and on a much larger scale, depending on your level of expertise.
• Good Pay: Students are often confused about picking careers on the basis of the pay scale a field will offer. Choosing animation as a career will relieve you of this thought because there is a lot of money in this field. The average pay is $60,000, and you get to earn more as you gain more experience. Some big industries are paying $90,000 on average.

15 Best Animation Schools In Japan 2024

Below is a list of the best animation schools in Japan that can really give you what you want. Interestingly, at these best animation schools in Japan, tuition fees are quite affordable.

• Tokyo Designer School
• College of International Design
• Amusement Media School
• Toei Animation Institute
• Tokyo Animation School
•  Japan Manga Institute
• Kyoto Seika University
• Aoba Japan International School
• Tokyoanimeseiyusenmon School
• Multimedia Art School
• Tokyo Game Designer Institute
•  Sapporo College of Anime
• Kodansha Culture Center
• Osaka animation school
• Fukuoka college of design
• Tokyo university of art

The schools listed above will not be able to provide student visas as they are all specialty, trade, and technical schools. Students wishing to attend them will probably be able to go on a Japanese language or other cultural visa.

1. Tokyo Designer School

Tokyo Designer School is an anime college known as one of the best animation schools in the world, located at 2-11 Suragadai Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101.

They offer quality animation programs, highly specialized courses, and capable professionals.

The anime academy, as a comprehensive design school, covers all genres of design in order to meet the human resource needs of each industry.

In addition, they are specialized in education and have 11 departments that cover all aspects of design, including education, design, and technology.

Tokyo Designer School Courses

Below is the list of courses to study at Tokyo Designer School:

Tokyo Designer Gakuin College Fees

The Tokyo designer Gakuin college fees range from the application fee of 20,000 (JPY) ($182.40) to 1,352,000 (JPY) ($12,330.14) total in fees for the first year, depending on the department.

However, the fees for each department are equal, but the only difference is the admissions capacity, which indicates how many students can be admitted into a particular department.

2. College of International Design (Kokusai Dezainkarejji)

Kokusai Dezainkarejji (College of International Design) is also one of the best animation schools in Japan, located at 2-22 Asahi-Cho, Kouchi-shi, 780.

It is known as one of the best animation colleges in Japan because the school offers quality and standardized courses on animation.

However, this is one of the mega-schools in Japan that provides two-year programs and three-year distance learning programs. Courses Offered include

3. Amusement Media School (Amyu-Zumentomedia Soukou Gakuin)

Amusement Media Sougou Gakuin was established in 1993 and is located at 2-29-8 Higashi/Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0011, as a multimedia school that offers course systems in various entertainment fields.

The Amusement Media Sougou Gakuinsuch has been offering courses for game creators, mangaka, writers and essayists, animators, computer and graphic designers, and also voice actors, and they are part of the AMG Entertainment Group.

You can reach them by phone at 0120-41-4600 or by fax at 03-3406-5070.

Below are the full courses offered by Amusement Media Sougou Gakuin, such as:

4. Toei Animation Institute (Animeshyon Kenkyuujyou)

Toei Animation Institute is one of the best animation schools in Japan, located at Surugadai Bldg., 1-2-5 Surugadai Kanda Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101. Phone: 03-5281-2730. Toei Animation is the pioneer of Japanese animation.

However, the animation school has a world-class ability to produce, incomparable sales, and development power.

This institute is owned by Toei, and the company has produced numerous series, including Sally the Witch, Gegege no Kitaro, Mazinger Z, Galaxy Express 999, and Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, Slam Dunk, Digimon, One Piece, and the Precure series.

Courses Offered include

5. Tokyo Animation School  (Toukyou Animeta Gakuin)

Tokyo Animation School is one of the best animation schools in Japan for students who want to become animators, voiceovers, or cartoonists.

However, this anima school in Japan has more than 850 hours per year of course hours, and the academic requirement is high school graduation.

Interestingly, this Japanese animation school runs, of course, programs for 2-3 years at quite an affordable cost to help students who are passionate about making a career in animation.

Also, the school offers scholarships to both domestic and international students. the Eligibility for International Students Scholarship (you must meet at least 2.

Tokyo Animation School Courses Offered

Below is the list of courses to study at Tokyo Animation School;

6. Japan Manga Institute (Nihon Manga Gakuin)

Nihon Kougakuin is one of Japan’s top animation colleges and CG vocational colleges. Located at: 1-3-98 Nishinakanobe Shinagawa-Ku, Tokyo 142.

It has 7 faculties boasting over 35 departments of study, so a student has many choices of courses.

This school intensity is medium, meaning that the school gives students a perfect balance between study pace and free time. You’ll be able to enjoy your life in Japan while still being able to effectively progress your studies.

Japan Manga Institute’s cost ranges from ¥450,000 to ¥1,500,000.

7. Kyoto Seika University

The Kyoto Seika University is a private university located at 137 Iwakura Kinocho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8588, Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto Seika University is known as one of the best animation colleges in Japan.

The school’s predecessor was founded in 1968, and it was chartered as a university in 1979.

The school is noted for its faculties of manga and anime and for being involved in the teaching and training of future manga artists.

SEIKA consists of five faculties: art, design, manga, popular culture, and humanities, and associated graduate schools. Among the best animation colleges in Japan and all over the world, this school is recognized.

The tuition fees for undergraduate students are 1.75 million JPY, and a total of 3,425 students are enrolled each year.

Note that the school is ranked 165 in Japan and 4264 in Korea. KSU offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees in several areas of study.

The courses offered include:

8. Aoba-Japan International School

This is an international school in Tokyo, with campuses in Nerima and Meguro. Location: 7-5-1 Hikarigaoka, Nerima-Ku (Hikarigaoka Campus)

Hence, Aoba-Japan International School (A-JIS) produces global leaders capable of leading positive change in the world. With two campuses in Tokyo (one in Meguro and another in Hikarigaoka),.

However, A-JIS welcomes international students from their first days at school through their high school graduations and beyond. A-JI provides support, innovation, and social responsibility. The tuition fee is ¥2,773,500.

Furthermore, Aoba-Japan International School believes that students should reach their full potential as international citizens who are dedicated to learning and who are inspired to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Through its international curriculum, the school aims to develop future global leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators, effective communicators, wise risk-takers, and effective problem solvers.

The courses offered include:

9. Tokyo Media Academy (Tokyo anime seiyuu sermon School)

Tokyo Media Academy is among the best animation schools in Japan, located at 3-1-5, Ebisu-Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

They provide support and backup to all the students in order to make everyone’s dream come true. However, this school offers a voice course in a 2-year program. And also, the school enrolls 155 students a year.

The tuition fees range from ¥50,000 yen to ¥300,000; the tuition fee can also be remitted when enrolled. Tokyo Media Academy will help you fulfill your dream of being a voice actor in animation.

courses offered includes

10. Kodansha Culture Center

Amusement Media Sougou Gakuin. Location: 1-15-12 Toranomon Minato-ku, Tokyo 105 Was established as a company in 1993 in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

It is a multimedia school and offers course systems in various entertainment fields, such as game creators, mangaka, writers and essayists, animators, computer and graphic designers, and also voice actors.

It is part of the AMG Entertainment Group.

The courses offered include:

11. Sapporo College of Anime

Sapporo College of Anime, located at 2-75 Kita 1 West 8 Chome Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0001, is one of the best animation schools in Japan that offers quality programs both for national and international students.

However, the tuition fees for this anime school in Japan vary according to departments and courses. Note: To be able to apply for any course at this school, you must have a high school degree.

Furthermore, the school has 3 departments, which include the Department of Digital Technology, the Creative Design Course, and the Department of Entertainment General.

The courses offered include:

12. Osaka Animation School

Osaka Animation School is located at 3 Chome-29-18 Tarumicho, Suita, Osaka 564-0062. It is also one of the top animation schools in Japan.

The school offers a course that helps cultivate personnel who can work in the front line of the animation industry, such as an inbetweener who joins original drawings to make smooth motions, or an animation supervisor who takes overall control over picture production.

However, the school runs more than 850 hours per year, and the requirement for application is high school graduation.

The courses offered include:

13. Kyushu Institute of Design

Kyushu Institute of Design in Fukuoka, Japan, is one of Japan’s prestigious national universities and was founded in April 1968.

The university combines the disciplines of architecture, industrial design, visual communication design, acoustic design, and art and information design.

In October 2003, the Kyushu Institute of Design became Kyushu University’s Graduate School of Design. Until 2005, however, all KID graduates had been issued diplomas from the Kyushu Institute of Design.

Location: 2-29-8 Higashi/Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0011, Phone: 0120-41-4600, Fax: 03-3406-5070.

This school of animation in Japan offers 3-4 year programs. courses offered includes

14. Yoyogi Animation School (Yoyogi Animeshon Gakuin)

Yoyogi Animation School is Japan’s largest animation and art institute, considered to be one of the best animation colleges in Japan and worldwide.

Hence, the requirement for admission into Yoyogi Animation School is high because of its high reputation. Obviously, candidates must be able to understand the Japanese language fully.

YAI admits qualified persons without regard to sex, race, or national or ethnic origin; however, this school primarily reserves the right to deny applications of persons suffering physical handicaps, which may be obstacles occupationally.

Locations: Tokyo, Harajuku, Hachioji, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai, Sapporo, Hiroshima,  Shizuoka, Wakayama, Takamatsu, and Miyazaki.

Note that Yoyogi Animation Academy has 12 campuses in the main cities in Japan, with 860 students majoring in animation. Every campus has its own features and environment. Also, the courses installed are different.

The courses offered include:

15. Tokyo University of Art

Tokyo University of Arts was founded in May 1949 under the National School Establishment Law (Act No. 150 of 1949). 

At that time, it was a merger of Tokyo Fine Arts School (currently the Faculty of Fine Arts) and Tokyo Music School (currently the Faculty of Music).

At the time of its establishment, the university was among the best animation colleges in Japan, comprising ten departments in two faculties: the Faculty of Fine Arts (Departments of Painting, Sculpture, Crafts, Architecture, and Aesthetics and Art History).

The faculties have expanded and been reorganized through the years, resulting in the current organization comprising 14 departments in two faculties

Tokyo University of Art is known for fostering the best talent and leadership qualities in students.

Its goal is to teach the ability to evaluate the quality, cultural, and industrial value of animation from an objective point of view.

Tuition and Fee for Art Students: ¥642,960/yr.

Conclusion

The Best Animation Schools in Japan 2024 highlight the highly regarded animation program in Japan, providing job opportunities and attracting attention worldwide.

Japanese animation colleges offer comprehensive courses in computer graphic techniques and animation’s distinctive characteristics.

Students need to understand these techniques to create inspiring animation for the next generation. This article provides detailed information on the top animation schools in Japan and their courses.