Ritsumeikan University

Ritsumeikan is a large university in Kyoto, southwestern Japan, which was first established as a private academy in 1869 before receiving a modern university charter in 1922. Over 32,000 students are currently studying at undergraduate level at the university. One of the inaugural faculties at Ritsumeikan was the College of Economics. Today the college is split into two schools, Economics and International Economics, the latter of which is geared towards a focused, classroom-based education that also endeavours to teach students a second language. An early graduate of the College of Economics was founder of Nissin Foods Momofuku Ando, who is considered the inventor of instant noodles. If you wish to study at Ritsumeikan as part of an international exchange programme the university offers a one month short term stay for those at a beginner level of Japanese, or a term in Kyoto for those with Japanese language skills ranging from beginner to advanced. The College of Image Arts and Sciences also offers its own two week summer programme. The university recognises the importance of physical activity in fostering the student experience, and there are over 450 sporting clubs and general societies at Ritsumeikan, as well as a College of Sport and Health Sciences. In competitive sports the Ritsumeikan University Panthers are one of the best American Football teams in in the region, the men’s side having won a number of national Japanese championships, as well as conference titles. There is also an active and varied research programme at Ritsumeikan, and the Radiant magazine was created by the university in 2016 to showcase the work being undertaken at the university. The second edition was a special feature focusing on ‘living with a disaster’, and featured articles ranging from controversy around grief tourism to the potential of robotic engineering in saving lives at sites of catastrophe.