Asia · 1 verified centre
Japan examines German through the Goethe-Institut in Tokyo, which runs the whole Goethe-Zertifikat ladder from A1 to C2 plus TestDaF. Demand here is weighted towards university exchange, research posts and music study rather than migration, which pushes more candidates towards the upper levels than in most countries.
Where to sit the exam
Each centre was checked on the exam board's own website. Dates and fees change, so confirm directly with the centre before you pay or travel.
The institute also runs Villa Kamogawa in Kyoto, but that is an artists’ residency rather than an exam centre - do not plan on sitting an exam there. We could not load its address page, so confirm the Tokyo venue when you register.
We do not publish individual sitting dates: they change too often to be safe. Follow the centre link for the current calendar.
Before you book
The institute’s second Japanese location, in Kyoto, is a residency for artists. Exams run in Tokyo, so a Kyoto address you find online is not somewhere you can sit one.
Exchange places, research positions and conservatoire study are common reasons for taking German in Japan, and those files often need C1 or TestDaF rather than the B1 that dominates elsewhere.
Tokyo is the only verified exam location. From Osaka, Fukuoka or Sapporo that means travel and possibly an overnight stay, which belongs in the cost of the exam.
The institute lists TestDaF, but registration runs through testdaf.de rather than the institute, on six fixed dates a year with places allocated in the order they arrive.
Sitting the exam abroad usually means one shot and a long wait for the next date. Practise in the real format first - Goethe, telc or DTZ - and let the analytics show which module still needs the weeks you have left.
FAQ
At the Goethe-Institut Tokyo, which examines every Goethe-Zertifikat level from A1 to C2 and offers TestDaF for university admission. Confirm the exam venue when you register - we could not load the institute’s address page.
No. Villa Kamogawa is the Goethe-Institut’s artists’ residency, not an examination centre. Exams run in Tokyo.
For programmes taught in German, normally TestDaF or Goethe-Zertifikat C1. Both are available through Tokyo, but they are different exams in format and scoring - check which one your admission letter names.
We checked telc’s own centre register and it lists none, and ÖSD publishes no register we can read. Treat that as "none found" rather than "none exists", and ask any school claiming to examine either board for its centre number.
The exam boards maintain their own centre finders. They are the authoritative list.
Download PassDeutsch and sit a full timed model test in your exam format before the date arrives.
Free to download · All 210 model tests included · No card required
