An honest comparison
Same one-on-one lessons. About half the price — and 10 minutes longer.
Thinking about a big-chain eikaiwa school? Here's how the numbers and the experience actually compare.
¥0
Enrollment fee
50 min
Per lesson
~Half
Per-lesson price
Enrollment fee
Typical eikaiwa: Around ¥33,000 just to sign up.
TutorLuke: ¥0 — you only ever pay for lessons.
Price per lesson
Typical eikaiwa: ¥5,500–¥7,500 depending on plan and time of day.
TutorLuke: ¥3,500–¥4,800 — the bigger the plan, the cheaper the lesson.
Lesson length
Typical eikaiwa: 40 minutes.
TutorLuke: 50 minutes — 25% more time, every single lesson.
Cost per minute
Typical eikaiwa: Roughly ¥138–¥188 per minute.
TutorLuke: Roughly ¥70–¥96 per minute — about half.
Your teacher
Typical eikaiwa: Often a different instructor each time; a dedicated teacher can cost extra.
TutorLuke: The same native British teacher every lesson — me. I know your goals, your habits, your progress.
Contracts & sales
Typical eikaiwa: Large packages sold by sales counselors; unused lessons locked into long contracts.
TutorLuke: Simple prepaid points. No subscription, no counselors, no pressure — buy exactly what you need.
After the lesson
Typical eikaiwa: Written feedback depends on the school and often isn't included.
TutorLuke: Every lesson: detailed written feedback plus your personal vocabulary & phrase banks.
Where you learn
Typical eikaiwa: Commute to a school building at their opening hours.
TutorLuke: Fully online — from home, the office or anywhere, morning to late evening.
"Typical eikaiwa" figures are indicative of published prices at major one-on-one eikaiwa chains in Japan as of 2026 (our research). Individual schools vary. TutorLuke prices shown are live current plan prices.