Set amongst the mountains of Appi Kogen, Iwate Prefecture, Harrow International School Appi Japan combines world-class British education with a 24/7 full-boarding life in the heart of Japan’s nature.​

Learning, enrichment and pastoral care continue throughout the evenings and weekends, helping every student grow beyond grades – building character, independence and a healthier balance between screen time and real world experience, all on the doorstep of the mountains. ​

Harrow Appi welcomes students aged 11 to 18 (Year 7 to 13), offering a full boarding education and mirrors the traditions of Harrow School in the UK. Aligned with Harrow’s esteemed British international curriculum, we provide a 24/7 distraction-free learning environment to allow our students to achieve exceptional academic outcomes and access the world’s top universities.

Our students’ learning is not limited to the classroom. Complementing our academic prowess is an extensive co-curricular programme that cultivates talents in nature whether this be in sports, creative arts, community service leadership or even within one of our focused academies of alpine sports, tennis, golf and mountain biking.

The holistic development of young students always requires excellent professional support. As a full boarding school, each student belongs to a ‘house’ where each individual is guided and supported by experts. Whether it’s a House Master/Mistress or academic staff, all students will be known and be championed through 360° personalised care.

Harrow Appi Japan is truly a unique school where students will have once on a lifetime experience to be well-prepared for their future success with a passion for learning, transferable skills and lifelong friendships that will support their personal and professional life.

Harrow International School Appi Japan is a British international school offering an academically rigorous programme aligned with Harrow’s British international curriculum. The school delivers a focused, distraction-free learning environment designed to support strong academic outcomes and preparation for entry to leading universities worldwide. Provision is organised across Prep (ages 11–13), Senior School (ages 13–16), and Sixth Form (ages 16–18), alongside university counselling support.

At Harrow International School Appi Japan, boarding is at the heart of the school experience. We have seven boarding houses split by gender: the Girls' houses are Elizabeth House, Lyons House and Ogata House, and the Boys' houses are Churchill House, Masamune House, Nitobe House and Hearn House. Each house provides a genuine home from home, closely mirroring the House tradition of Harrow School in the UK.

Each boarding house is led by a resident House Master or Mistress, supported by an Assistant House Master or Mistress, and a team of House Parents and Resident Tutors, ensuring students receive close, round-the-clock pastoral care within a small, family-like community. This structure allows staff to know every boarder well and to support their academic, social and emotional development throughout their time at the school.

Boarding houses are comfortable, modern and fully integrated with the school's "Digital Campus," with dedicated spaces for study (prep), rest and socialising. Each house offers a range of room types — three-bed, two-bed and single rooms — reflecting a clear progression through the school: as students grow older and more independent, they move towards single rooms, culminating in Sixth Form, where single rooms give the oldest students both the privacy to focus on their A-Level studies and a taste of the independence they'll need for life after school. Every boarding house also has its own common area, kitchen and laundry room.

Living together as one boarding community, Harrow Appi students develop independence, resilience and lasting friendships, underpinned by the values-based, holistic education for which Harrow is internationally renowned.

The school offers an extensive co-curricular programme to develop talents beyond the classroom, including sports, creative arts, community service and leadership opportunities. It also highlights specialised academies in alpine sports, tennis, golf, and mountain biking, supported by trips/expeditions and a broad enrichment programme.

The school promotes world-class facilities and a campus set amongst the mountains of Appi Kogen in Iwate Prefecture, providing an immersive learning environment in Japanese nature that supports both academics and outdoor/sports enrichment.

At Harrow International School Appi Japan, world-class education meets world-class design. Our campus combines the best of contemporary school architecture with the accumulated expertise of the Harrow family of schools. Every detail has been thoughtfully created to inspire excellence—state-of-the-art classrooms, advanced digital systems, and unrivalled access to nature in one of Japan’s most breathtaking settings.

Our World-Class Campus includes facilities such as:
- Miyazaki, a dedicated performing arts building that houses our Music and Drama departments, designed to nurture creativity and confidence.
- A Sports Centre featuring a fully equipped gym, Olympic-sized swimming pool, basketball court, and martial arts training area to support health, wellbeing, and sporting excellence.
- Seven Boarding Houses, each a welcoming home designed to foster community, independence, and a sense of belonging.
- A Library offering a rich collection of books in both English and Japanese—from beginner titles to literary classics—encouraging a lifelong love of reading.
- Together, these facilities support a holistic educational experience, inspiring students to explore, perform, compete and develop in all aspects of their growth.

The campus itself is a place of constant wonder—a magical setting that transforms with the seasons. In the White Season, the landscape becomes a pristine winter playground, inviting students to ski, snowboard and explore. During the Green Season, the mountains burst to life with vibrant trails and open fields, perfect for hiking and outdoor learning. And in the Golden Season, the hills blaze with colour, creating a breathtaking backdrop for reflection and renewal.

Mirroring the edge-of-city setting of Harrow School in the UK, our campus fosters both challenge and contemplation— encouraging students to aim higher, dig deeper, and achieve more than they ever imagined possible. Here, academic excellence naturally goes hand in hand with outdoor adventure, cultivating future leaders who thrive in any environment.

Innovation is woven into every aspect of life at Harrow Appi Japan. As a fully integrated digital campus, technology enhances learning both inside and beyond the classroom. Our teachers use cutting-edge digital tools and teaching methodologies to bring lessons to life, blending face-to-face engagement with dynamic online resources that extend the learning experience.

Through our secure digital ecosystem, students and parents can seamlessly access timetables, curriculum materials, assignments, and progress reports—anytime, anywhere. Parents can even meet teachers virtually through digital consultations, ensuring strong home–school connections no matter where in the world they are.

At the heart of this vision lies our Innovation Hub—a centre dedicated to creativity, collaboration, and discovery. Here, students explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) through hands-on projects that foster innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. It’s a space where ideas grow, curiosity thrives, and the leaders of tomorrow begin to take shape.