Adult School Group

What Adult School Group does

Adult School Group (おとなの学校グループ) is a privately held Japanese care services and content company headquartered in Kumamoto, with its primary operating entity 株式会社おとなの学校 incorporated in Tokyo in February 2011. The group operates three related entities: the parent operating company (株式会社おとなの学校), a social welfare corporation (社会福祉法人 照敬会) that runs care facilities, and a senior housing operator (株式会社ケアベース). The group employs 113 people as of May 2020.

The company's core offering is the proprietary "Otona no Gakkou Method" (おとなの学校メソッド) — a school-style care (学校式介護) methodology that transforms elderly care facilities into classroom environments where residents participate as "students." The method is anchored in reminiscence therapy (回想法) and delivered through a bundled content system: a monthly Otona no Textbook (おとなの教科書) used by residents (over 12,000 active users nationwide), a Teacher's Textbook guide for staff, a manga-style implementation manual, and management check sheets drawn from best practices across approximately 500 facilities. The group also operates its own directly-run day care and senior housing facilities under the おとなの学校 brand across multiple Japanese prefectures.

The business model combines three recurring revenue streams: (1) monthly textbook and teaching material subscriptions at ¥1,650 per resident per month — structured so the facility-side adoption cost can be zero when costs are passed to users; (2) franchise and licensing fees from 630+ adopting facilities nationwide (as of July 2026) using the methodology; and (3) revenue from directly-operated care facilities through the social welfare and housing subsidiaries. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, supplemented by online and in-person seminars, CareTEX industry trade show presence across four Japanese cities, YouTube live classrooms, and earned media through TV Tokyo, BS Asahi, and TV Nishi-Nihon. Reported outcomes include a 90.7% facility retention rate after six months. The company is founder-led by representative director Keiko Oura, has not raised external funding, and operates exclusively within Japan.

Name

Adult School Group

Legal name

株式会社おとなの学校

Website

https://otona-gakkou.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Adult School Group is a privately held Japanese company that licenses its proprietary school-style elderly care methodology and monthly reminiscence-therapy textbooks to 630+ care facilities nationwide, and directly operates care facilities in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Senior Care Services and Methodology

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Memory Care Adult Day Programs (Dementia/Alzheimer’s) (HSABANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alzheimer’s & Dementia-Specific Adult Day Programs (HLADAIAC), Community-Based Senior Centers with Adult Day Services (HLADAIAJ), Dementia Personal Care (ADLs) Support (HSABAEAB), Caregiver Support & Education Programs (Center-Based) (HSABANAN)

Keywords

• Elderly day care
• Reminiscence therapy programs
• Care facility franchise
• Senior care education
• School-style caregiving

Headquarters

HQ city

Kumamoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Textbook & Teaching Materials Subscription: Monthly subscription to おとなの学校メソッド textbooks and teaching materials sold to care facilities. User burden is 1,650 yen per user per month, allowing facilities to adopt the method at effectively zero facility cost (facility-side burden can be zero when user-side pricing is applied). Each 20 textbooks includes 3 teacher guidebooks. Materials are delivered monthly, plus half-year video/audio content on DVD and CD.
2. Franchise Fees & Management Consulting: Franchise operations and management consulting for care facilities adopting the school式介護 brand and methodology. The parent organization provides brand usage, operational systems, training, and ongoing support to franchisee facilities.
3. Publication Sales: Sale of books and educational materials through the company's publishing business (書籍・教育図書・雑誌等の出版および販売). The おとなの教科書 is the core published product.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Adult School Group provides the proprietary "School-Style Care" (学校式介護) methodology for elderly care facilities, packaged as a monthly subscription of the おとなの教科書 (Adult Textbook) plus teacher's guidebooks, supported by an implementation manual and management check sheets. Facilities adopt the methodology either by direct subscription or as franchisees, using reminiscence therapy to engage residents as "students" in classroom-style activities.

Product overview

Otona no Gakkou operates a unified school-style care (学校式介護) ecosystem with the Otona no Gakkou Method as the core methodology. The portfolio consists of the monthly Otona no Textbook (physical educational material for elderly users) and the Teacher's Textbook (staff guide), supported by an Implementation Manual (manga-style onboarding) and Check Sheets (management tool). The Otona no Gakkou Cafe extends the concept to community-based reminiscence sessions. The franchise system enables other facilities to adopt the brand and methodology. All products work together to transform care facilities into school environments where elderly residents participate as students in structured classroom activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• おとなの学校カフェ: A community program using reminiscence approach (回想法) for dementia prevention, where participants gather to share memories over tea. Offered both online and at physical locations.
• おとなの学校メソッド
• おとなの教科書

Products and services

• おとなの教科書 (Adult Textbook) Monthly textbook containing nostalgic Showa-era topics and reminiscence content, delivered to elderly care facility residents. Used by 12,000+ users nationwide. The textbook is the core recurring product of the school-style care methodology, designed to activate memories and cognitive function through structured classroom sessions.
• フランチャイズ事業 (Franchise Business) Franchise system enabling other care facilities to operate under the おとなの学校 brand using the school-style care methodology. Franchisees receive brand usage rights, operational systems, training, marketing support, and ongoing supervision from the parent company.
• おとなの学校メソッド (Otona no Gakkou Method) The proprietary school-style care methodology that transforms elderly care facilities into school settings where residents engage as "students" in structured classroom sessions. The method combines reminiscence therapy with a turnkey content package to deliver "care without caregiving."
• おとなの学校カフェ (Otona no Gakkou Cafe) Community-based reminiscence therapy program for elderly people, offered both online and at physical locations. Participants gather to share memories over tea using the textbook content as cognitive activation material, functioning as a dementia prevention initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Facility retention rate: 90.7% after 6 months of adoption
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 株式会社カクイックス (Kakku X Co., Ltd.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006Operates おとなの学校 天保山橋校 in Kagoshima as a franchisee. Testimonial from Board Chairman 岩元義弘 highlights staff motivation improvement and positive resident/family feedback. Represents the company's core franchise partner model.
• 社会福祉法人 照敬会 (Shōkeikai Social Welfare Corporation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006Operates multiple facilities under the おとなの学校 brand: 花園校 (通所介護), 八角堂校 (介護老人福祉施設), and 熊本尾ノ上校. The group's理事长 is 古城資久.照敬会 is also referenced as the operator of the care facilities and is a core franchise partner with headquarters in Kumamoto.
• 社会福祉法人 照敬会 (group entity — referenced as operator of 花園校)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006照敬会 operates 花園校 in Kumamoto city as a 地域密着型通所介護/第一号通所事業予防給付型 facility, also operating 八角堂校 (入所29名/短期入所6名) as a 地域密着型介護老人福祉施設.
• 株式会社ケアベース (Care Base Co., Ltd.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006Subsidiary company (設立平成14年9月) operating elderly housing (はっぴぃはうす, 弐番館) and home-visit nursing/bathing services in Kumamoto.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Will Group: Will Group operates staffing, education, and care-services businesses in Japan including care worker placement and training. It is an emerging player intersecting Adult School Group's space via workforce and training services to the same care operator customer base.
• Posit Science (BrainHQ): Posit Science's BrainHQ is a digital cognitive-training platform deployed in senior care and memory care settings. It is an emerging digital substitute and adjacent peer to Adult School Group's reminiscence-based cognitive engagement approach.

Broad incumbents

• ReHOPE: ReHOPE (formerly Carna Health Support) operates residential hospice and nursing facilities in Japan, with growing day-service exposure. Comparable as a Japanese incumbent expanding into the same programming-intensive care segments.
• SOMPO Care: SOMPO Care operates a nationwide network of day-service, assisted-living, and nursing facilities in Japan under SOMPO Holdings. It is a broad incumbent buyer and potential internal competitor for the programming methodology that Adult School Group supplies to operators.
• Recruit (Hito-Tech / Care): Recruit operates senior-care information platforms and recruitment services for the Japanese care sector, including services targeting day-service operators. Comparable as a broad incumbent monetizing content and information flow to Adult School Group's target buyer.
• Nichiigakkan: Nichiigakkan is one of Japan's largest providers of nursing care, medical, and health services, operating day-service, residential, and in-home care at scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same Japanese elder care market where Adult School Group sells its methodology.
• Benesse Style Care: Benesse Style Care operates fee-based senior homes and day services across Japan, including the Aria and Bon-sejour brands. It serves as a large incumbent care operator comparable to Adult School Group's franchise customer base.

Others

• Amenity: Amenity provides care services and staffing in Japan, with exposure to day-service and residential care operations. Comparable as a service-side ecosystem participant adjacent to Adult School Group's franchise partners.

Direct peers

• Kaipoke (Benesse): Kaipoke is a Benesse-operated care-industry information and training service for day-service operators in Japan, providing operations and programming know-how. It is a direct peer in selling content, training, and management know-how to Adult School Group's same target buyer.
• Recreator: Recreator provides recreation-activity content, programs, and training for elderly care facilities in Japan. It is the closest direct competitor to Adult School Group's textbook-and-methodology subscription model and targets the same day-service and group-home buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/g3sewing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@user-nd8fu3ig3g/videos
• Instagraminstagram.com/g3sewing
• Facebookfacebook.com/otona.gakkou.rec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Adult School Group