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
10 units
Per level
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.
How long a level is
Typical eikaiwa: Around 20 units per level. More lessons to finish a level means more time and more money.
TutorLuke: 10 units per level. The same ground, more densely — so you reach the next level sooner.
Textbook cost
Typical eikaiwa: Many schools charge a separate materials fee for each level, from several thousand yen up — and buying it is usually not optional.
TutorLuke: ¥3,500 per level, bought once and readable forever. And it's optional — the lessons work without it.
What's in the textbook
Typical eikaiwa: Off-the-shelf international coursebooks, unchanged until the next edition.
TutorLuke: Web textbooks written for Japanese speakers. Every unit covers the mistakes Japanese speakers actually make, Levels 1–3 carry Japanese notes, and the advanced levels are built on current news.
Range of English
Typical eikaiwa: Mostly daily conversation and business English.
TutorLuke: Daily and Business English — plus Super Casual: slang, banter and the English people actually use, which no coursebook will teach you.
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.
Figures for "a typical major eikaiwa" are indicative, based on published prices and published curricula for large Japanese one-to-one schools as of 2026 (our own research). Units per level, materials fees and what is included vary considerably between schools, so please check each school's current information. TutorLuke's prices and unit counts are our actual figures.