Learning apps for kids growing up in Japan 🌱

Manabi no Mori (まなびのもり, "Forest of Learning") is a subscription website with 90+ learning apps for children aged 3–12, built around Japan's official elementary-school curriculum — hiragana, katakana, kanji, arithmetic, clocks, science, social studies and more. This page is a complete guide in English for parents who are more comfortable in English than Japanese.

Quick facts
Who it's forChildren from preschool to 6th grade (ages 3–12), plus a learning area for adults
Price¥200/month (tax incl.) if you join by Aug 31, 2026 — locked in forever.
From Sep 1, 2026: ¥500/month for new members.
Free trial7 days, cancel anytime during the trial and pay nothing
AdsNever. No ads, no in-app purchases, no hidden fees
DevicesWorks in the browser on any smartphone, tablet or PC — nothing to install
PlanOne family plan — siblings share one account, each child gets their own profile
Start the 7-day free trial →
You'll enter your email and receive a login link (no password needed). Payment is handled securely by Stripe.

Why English-speaking parents use it

If your child attends (or will attend) a Japanese school, the hardest part for many international families is supporting homework in Japanese. Manabi no Mori follows the same curriculum order as Japanese elementary schools (MEXT courses of study), so your child can practice exactly what their class is doing — hiragana and kanji writing, 九九 (multiplication tables), telling time, and more — without you needing to read Japanese textbooks.

The apps themselves are in Japanese (that's the point — kids learn the language of their school), but they are designed so small children can use them alone: big buttons, voice narration, and gentle, encouraging feedback. Mistakes are never punished — no buzzers, no red X marks.

How to sign up (5 minutes)

  1. Open the Members page (アカウント).
  2. Enter your email address in the box and press the green button(ログインリンクを送る = "send login link").
  3. Open the email from Manabi no Mori and tap the link — you're logged in. No password to remember.
  4. Press 「7日間 無料ではじめる」 ("Start 7 days free"). You'll be taken to a secure Stripe checkout page (Stripe supports English — check the language selector on that page).
  5. Done! All apps are unlocked. The first 7 days are free.

How your child uses it

  1. Open the Apps page (アプリ一覧) — every app is one tap away.
  2. At the top, add a profile for each child(+ こどもを ついか = "add a child")— just a nickname, an animal icon and a grade. No personal data is stored.
  3. Each day the site suggests a 3-app daily mission(きょうのミッション). Completing it grows the child's Learning Tree(まなびの木)— a big motivator.
  4. The Learning Map (がくしゅうマップ) organizes all apps by grade and subject, in the same order as school.

Key pages (cheat sheet)

PageJapanese nameWhat it is
/appsアプリ一覧All apps, daily missions, learning tree
/gakushuがくしゅうマップApps organized by grade & subject (curriculum map)
/accountアカウントSign up, log in, manage payment, cancel
/family-home家族のもりFamily home — child profiles & records
/adult-hubおとなエリアLearning for parents: English, business English, AI (G-test), history, geography, politics
/apps/print-generatorプリントFree printable worksheets (PDF) — math drills, hiragana/katakana tracing, clocks
/faqよくあるご質問FAQ (Japanese)

Printable worksheets (PDF)

The print generator creates worksheets you can print at home or hand to a school, tutor or juku: addition/subtraction/multiplication drills, hiragana & katakana tracing sheets (in あいうえお order too), number practice for preschoolers, clock reading, and word problems. Each sheet has name/date/score fields and a QR code that links back to the matching app. You are welcome to print and share them freely at home, school or juku (please don't modify or sell them).

Billing, cancellation & refunds

Q. How do I cancel?

Log in on the Members page and press 「お支払い管理・解約」 ("Manage payment / cancel"). This opens the Stripe customer portal where you can cancel in about one minute. If you cancel during the 7-day trial you pay nothing.

Q. Will I be charged automatically after the trial?

Yes — like most subscriptions, billing starts when the 7-day trial ends unless you cancel. We also send a reminder email the day before the trial ends.

Q. What payment methods are accepted?

Credit/debit cards via Stripe (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX and others supported by Stripe Japan).

Q. Is my child's personal information collected?

No. Child profiles store only a nickname, an avatar icon and a grade — no real names, birthdays, photos or contact details. There is no chat or messaging between children.

Q. Is there really no advertising?

Correct — the site is funded only by the subscription, and we promise to never show ads to children.

For parents too (Adult Area)

Your subscription includes the Adult Area: practical Business English, an AI literacy / G-test prep course, and liberal-arts reading courses (Japanese history, geography, politics — in Japanese, great reading practice if you're learning). When a parent studies, the child's page lights up with "Mom/Dad studied today too!" — study together, grow together.

A note on language: the children's apps and most site pages are in Japanese. If you ever get stuck on a page, the tables above cover every important button. We're expanding English support step by step — feedback is welcome at support@manabimori-app.com.

Legal

Operator: Kazuki Tsurumi ・ Commercial disclosure (特定商取引法に基づく表記)Terms of ServicePrivacy Policy (Japanese). Prices include tax. Subscription renews monthly until cancelled; cancel anytime via the Stripe customer portal.

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Browse the appsGet free printables