What Last Resort does

Last Resort (ラストリゾート) is a Japan-based free study abroad agency founded in March 1998 by Yuta Horiuchi, headquartered in Tennozu, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. The company operates 43 domestic offices across Japan and 9 overseas support offices spanning Australia (Sydney, Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne), New Zealand (Auckland), Canada (Vancouver, Toronto), the United States (Hawaii), and the United Kingdom (London). It holds Tourism Agency Director General Travel Business Registration No. 2133 and is a JATA member.

The company's core offering is a commission-funded intermediary service that places Japanese students, working adults, families, and female solo travelers into 1,000+ partner language schools across 31+ countries, with destination coverage spanning Oceania, North America, Europe, and Asia. Product lines include language study abroad, working holiday packages, homestay placements, parent-child homestay, farmstay (New Zealand), overseas internships (Australia), volunteer programs, escorted seasonal group programs for K-12 students, skill/certification programs, female-only residences, and round-trip airfare-inclusive special packages. Supporting digital services include a web-based cost estimation simulator, free counseling (in-person, online, phone), and a free document request service. The technology stack is a service-based agency model with a web platform for estimation, seminar registration, and counseling booking — not a proprietary AI or software platform. No APIs, SDKs, or AI capabilities are disclosed.

The business model is freemium to the end customer: all counseling, school selection, visa application support, and placement services are free to clients, and revenue is earned exclusively through commissions from partner language schools, host families, and bundled service providers (e.g., airfare, insurance). The company is privately held, founder-led, bootstrapped (no funding rounds disclosed), and operates independently with a customer-intermediary (not ownership) relationship with NOVA Holdings for office co-location. The company has served 120,000+ customers cumulatively and reports 95%+ customer satisfaction from a 2025 survey of 625 returned customers.

Name

Last Resort

Legal name

株式会社ラストリゾート

Website

https://lastresort.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Last Resort is a privately held, Japan-based free study abroad agency founded in 1998, operating 43 domestic and 9 overseas offices. It earns commissions by placing Japanese students, working adults, and families into 1,000+ partner language schools across 31+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Study Abroad Agency Services

NAICS

Language Schools (611630), Accommodation (721)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Gap Year + Study Abroad Hybrid Programs (EDAIAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

On-Ground Orientation, Travel, Transfers & Logistics Support (EDAIAHAL), Guardianship, Custodianship & Local Sponsor Services (EDAIAHAF), Temporary Arrival Housing (Hotels/Hostels/Serviced Apartments for Students) (EDAIALAG), School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Study abroad agency
• Language school placement
• Working holiday programs
• Homestay arrangements
• Visa application support

Headquarters

HQ city

Higashi-shinagawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commission from Partner Language Schools: Last Resort provides study abroad agency services free of charge to customers. The company generates revenue through commissions and partnerships with language schools worldwide. The company states it offers 'quality study abroad at the lowest price' by leveraging its network of partner schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Last Resort is a free study abroad agency that places Japanese students and working adults into partner language schools across 31+ countries. The company provides end-to-end support including free one-on-one counseling, school selection, visa application assistance, homestay arrangements, and post-arrival support through 43 domestic and 9 overseas offices. Last Resort earns revenue through commissions from its network of 1,000+ partner language schools rather than charging customers directly.

Product overview

Last Resort is a free study abroad agency (留学エージェント) offering a comprehensive, multi-product portfolio of study abroad and overseas living support services. The core offerings include language study abroad programs (語学留学) placing students in 1,000+ partner schools across 31+ countries, working holiday packages (ワーキングホリデー) with in-country support, homestay programs (ホームスティ) with locally vetted host families, and escorted seasonal group programs for minors. Supporting services include an online cost estimation simulator (オンライン留学費用シミュレーション), free counseling and document request services, special school discount programs (学校特割), female-only residences, parent-child homestay, farmstay, overseas volunteering, Australia internship programs, and overseas license/skill certification programs. The company also offers round-trip airfare-inclusive special packages as a differentiated offering. All services are free to clients; Last Resort earns commissions from partner schools and service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Language Study Abroad Programs (語学留学プログラム) Language study abroad programs placing students in partner language schools across 31+ countries and 1,000+ schools, covering destinations including Australia, Canada, UK, USA, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines, Malta, South Korea, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Fiji. Targets Japanese students, working adults, and families seeking language immersion experiences.
• Working Holiday Packages (ワーキングホリデー) Working holiday visa support packages covering pre-departure preparation, school enrollment, homestay arrangements, visa consultation, and in-country support in countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, and South Korea. Targeted at Japanese working adults seeking career change or international experience.
• Homestay Programs (ホームステイプログラム) Homestay placement services in countries with Last Resort overseas offices (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Ireland), with locally interviewed host families, plus World Homestay program covering 30+ countries and 110+ regions. Priced at 70,000 yen (77,000 yen tax-inclusive) per week in Australia/Canada/NZ/UK with meals included.
• Round-Trip Airfare Special Packages (往復航空券付きスペシャルパッケージ)
• Online Study Abroad Cost Simulator (オンライン留学費用シミュレーター) Web-based cost estimation tool allowing users to select destination country/city, program type, duration, language school, and accommodation type to receive a preliminary quote including tuition, enrollment fees, accommodation, and placement fees. Free to use.
• Escorted Seasonal Study Programs (引率付き季節留学コース)
• Special School Discount Program (学校特割)
• Female-Only Residence (女性向けレジデンス)
• Parent-Child Homestay (親子ホームステイ)
• Farmstay (ファームステイ)
• Overseas Volunteer Programs (海外ボランティア)
• Australia Internship Program (オーストラリアインターンシッププログラム)
• Free Counseling Service (無料カウンセリングサービス)
• Free Document Request Service (無料資料請求サービス)
• Overseas License/Skill Programs (海外で資格・おケイコ留学)
• Women's Study Abroad & Working Holiday (女子留学&ワーキングホリデー)

Quantifiable outcome

• 95%+ customer satisfaction rate
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Business Breakthrough University (ビジネス・ブレークスルー大学)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 October 2023Joint online seminar on leveraging study abroad experiences for career development and job hunting, held November 2023.
• MedLab (メドラボ)minorOthers · 1 July 2021Partnership for at-home PCR testing services for customers traveling abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• H.I.S (株式会社エイチ・アイ・エス)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 November 2020Customer intermediary contract established for referral of study abroad customers between Last Resort and H.I.S.
• NOVA Holdings Corporation (NOVA ホールディングス株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership including co-location of offices (NOVA×Last Resort collaborative offices at NOVA Sendai, Shizuoka, Yokohama Ekimae, and Shijo-Kawaramachi), joint provision of English conversation lessons, and collaboration on homestay host family recruitment.
• Various Host FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of carefully selected host families worldwide for homestay programs. Families are screened and personally interviewed by local Last Resort staff. Includes special programs with English lessons and weekend sightseeing tours.
• 1,000+ Partner Language SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of partner language schools across 31+ countries providing exclusive discounts and placement services to Last Resort customers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Kaplan International: Large global chain of language schools that is both a partner school for Last Resort and a potential bypass competitor as it invests in direct Japanese-student marketing; comparable on destination mix and product offering rather than business model.

Direct peers

• Earth Rise (アースライズ): Japanese study abroad agency specializing in language programs, working holidays, and homestay placements; comparable mid-sized competitor targeting similar Japanese customer segments with commission-based revenue from partner schools.
• ICC International Cultural Center (アイシーシー): Major Japanese study abroad agency with free service model and partnerships with language schools worldwide; competes head-to-head with Last Resort in language placement, working holidays, and homestay programs for Japanese students.
• Ryugaku Journal (留学ジャーナル): One of Japan's largest long-established study abroad agencies offering free placement in language schools and working holiday programs across multiple countries; directly comparable to Last Resort in business model (commission-based, free to customer) and multi-country product mix.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Global education company operating its own language schools and study abroad programs; comparable in end-customer offering (language immersion + accommodation) and competes with Last Resort for placements at scale, particularly in Anglophone destinations.
• H.I.S. (H.I.S. Co., Ltd.): Japan's largest travel agency group with a study abroad division; already a referral partner with Last Resort. Comparable in destination breadth and airfare bundling capability, though study abroad is a smaller portion of H.I.S.' overall business.
• IDP Education: Global education services company with placement, testing, and study abroad operations; comparable as a multi-country education intermediary with destination-office infrastructure, though focused more on university placement than language schools.
• JTB (Japan Travel Bureau): Japan's oldest and largest travel agency with corporate scale and overseas infrastructure; offers study abroad and homestay programs as part of a broader travel portfolio, overlapping with Last Resort's bundled travel-plus-education products.

Emerging players

• School With (スクールウィズ): Digital-first Japanese study abroad matching platform that connects students with language schools online; competes with Last Resort on customer acquisition among digitally native university students with significantly lower cost structure.
• GoOverseas / educations.com: Global online study abroad search and comparison platforms; compete for digitally-native Japanese customers at the top of the funnel, threatening Last Resort's ability to capture the initial research phase of the customer journey.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lastresort_jp
• Facebookja-jp.facebook.com/lastresort
• Instagraminstagram.com/lastresort_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@lastresort_ryugaku
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nova-holdings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Last Resort