Daito Bunka University

Tokyo-based Daito Bunka University is best known for its research on other East Asian cultures, particularly its work in Chinese studies. This internationalist approach has been part of the university’s ethos since it opened in 1923.

There are nearly 12,000 students enrolled at Daito Bunka University, with around 1,000 lecturers and professors on staff. The university has 11 schools, including literature, economics, foreign languages, and law. The most popular course is business administration.

Daito Bunka’s main base is in Itabashi on Tokyo’s northern border, near to the Shakuji river. A nearby sight worth visiting is a giant statue of Buddha, around 13 metres high, at the Jorenji Temple. Elsewhere in the Japanese capital, Daito Bunka’s law school operates out of the Shinanomachi train station.

The university operates another large campus in leafy Higashimatsuyama, the centre of Saitama province and about an hour and a half north of Tokyo by train. The facilities at Higashimatsuyama campus were renovated in 2015.

Plenty of extracurricular activities are available to Daito Bunka’s students. The rugby and athletics team are particularly strong, regularly competing in top-level regional competitions.

Daito Bunka was one of the first Japanese institutions to teach Arabic and Urdu. The university also recently gained media attention for beginning lessons in the Welsh language.

In 2006, the university opened the Beatrix Potter Reference Library in Saitama Children’s Zoo. The library is housed in a replica version of the English children’s author’s Cumbrian home. Potter’s creation, Peter Rabbit, is well-loved in Japan and Daito Bunka’s collection includes several first edition copies.