Meiji Gakuin University is a Christian universityin Tokyo and Yokohama that was established in 1863.
It places a strong emphasis on international education and exchanges and provides many opportunities to develop links to the world, through its overseas study program, as a place to understand the world through its political, economic, and cultural background,
and as a place to consider the issues of the day through interactions with persons of many
different nationalities. To come to know the world, you must come to know Japan and come
to know yourself. If you are not confident of your language ability, this is your opportunity to
discover a new self by exchanging experiences with others.
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan’s name mean “sunorigin”, which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the “Land of the Rising Sun”. Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are
Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which together comprise about ninety-seven percent of Japan’s land area. Japan has the world’s tenth-largest population, with over
126 million people.
Tokyo is the capital of Japan and one of its 47 prefectures. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most
populous metropolitan area in the world. It is the seat of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. Tokyo is in the Kantō region on the southeastern side of the main island Honshu and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. In 2011, the city hosted 51 of the Fortune Global 500 companies, the highest number of any city in the world, at that time. Tokyo ranked third (twice) in the International Financial Centres Development IndexEdit. The city is also home to various television networks such as Fuji TV, Tokyo MX, TV Tokyo, TV Asahi, Nippon Television, NHK and the Tokyo Broadcasting System.
The International Center supports and offers many sorts of international exchange activities aimed at enabling students to grow into individuals who can communicate without barriers with people having a variety of values and customs. These diverse activities include support for study abroad welcoming of international students from overseas; planning of international exchange events; language classes to prepare for the TOEFL exam, etc. and support for overseas volunteer work and internships.
Meiji Gakuin University maintains an off campus co-ed dormitory located in Okusawa, Tokyo
for its International Student Program students. Located in a quiet residential district in central
Tokyo, with easy access to both the Shirokane (approximately 30 minutes door to door) and
Yokohama (approximately 60 minutes door to door) campuses, the dormitory offers an
environment fit for academic pursuit. All program participants are requested to stay in the MG
Okusawa House dormitory.
The Izu Islands are a group of volcanic islands and form part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The islands in order from closest to Tokyo are Izu Ōshima, Toshima, Niijima, Shikine-jima, Kōzu-shima, Miyakejima, Mikurajima, Hachijō-jima, and Aogashima. The Izu Islands are grouped into three subprefectures. Izu Ōshima and Hachijojima are towns. The remaining islands are six villages, with Niijima and Shikinejima forming one village.