It has been a while since my last update, but recently I went to visit several universities in Tokyo. I specifically went to ICU, Waseda, and Sophia. Here are some pictures that I took of Waseda and Sophia while I was there.

Overall I was rather surprised by the atmospheres of the schools. I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting, but when I got to Sophia, I found it to be rather busy, with students milling about between the buildings. As I was walking to the school’s office to get some informational pamphlets, I noticed that there were a rather large number of foreign students, and many of them were speaking to their friends in English. I think that Sophia had a sort of international atmosphere as a result.

Waseda wasn’t as busy as Sophia when I got there, although perhaps it was because I arrived a bit later in the afternoon. Although I sometimes go to a certain famous game center in Takadanobaba, I had never been to Waseda before, and I made the mistake of walking there from Takadanobaba Station. I would recommend not doing this unless you want to get some exercise, as the walk is rather long from the station, and also because there is another station right next to the school, which I didn’t hesitate to use on my return trip.

I had a similar impression at ICU, as well; ICU was my last stop, so I got there the latest. I went there by bus from the station, as there is a bus that takes you directly to the school. ICU feels that their large campus is a major advantage to their students, and I thought the place was quite huge when I got there; I don’t think that I’ve ever seen such a large campus. Because it’s located where it is, with plenty of trees and bamboo, it has a rather secluded feel to it, and I rather enjoyed it.

My understanding of these schools changed and improved after visiting them. I highly encourage prospective students to try to go to the schools that they are interested in, as your understanding will greatly increase!