Knowledge Community at Manabi-no-Mori

Gakushuin University's two campuses -Mejiro and Toyama- are located in the heart of Tokyo, yet they are surrounded by lush greenery and offer beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons, including cherry blossoms in spring. The campuses are a beautiful combination of historic buildings and functional new structures that feature state-of-the-art facilities.
Gakushuin University has six faculties: Law, Economics, Letters, Science and International Social Sciences, and Intercultural Studies, with 20 departments. Students and faculty engage in discussions as equals within the community, sharing and pursuing common interests. These free and open academic cultures are respected by Gakushuin University. The faculty at Gakushuin University are leaders in their respective fields, providing high-quality lectures that expose the students to cutting-edge knowledge. The learning environment is focused on small-group seminars and laboratory work, with personalized guidance for each student.
Gakushuin University also offers a variety of support programmes for students who wish to study abroad, cultivating individuals who can thrive on a global stage, as well as for international students from around the world to assist with their studies and campus life. Gakushuin University welcomes numerous international students, and Gakushuin students actively engage with them. Career Support is based on two pillars: career education and job placement assistance, and Gakushuin graduates have been successful in a broad range of fields. Gakushuin University is a diverse knowledge community where individuals with various values, interests, and opinions come together.

Faculty introduction

The pursuit of ever more advanced expertise through research in an outstanding environment

Gakushuin University has eight graduate schools: Graduate School of Law, Graduate School of Political Studies, Graduate School of Economics, Graduate School of Management, Graduate School of Humanities, Graduate School of Science, Graduate School of International Social Sciences and International Cultural Relations. Gakushuin University Law School was established as a professional graduate school where prominent research staff outstanding in their respective fields conduct multi-faceted research and provide graduate-level instruction. Educational research always takes place in small-group settings. The master's course admits some ten students per year in each specialization, and the doctoral course no more than five. Gakushuin University Graduate School is distinguished by its capability to afford each and every student extensive instruction in their chosen field of research. In addition, some graduate courses offer seminars taught by multiple instructors, as well as credit exchanges with other graduate schools so that students acquire the ability to approach their research from a variety of analytical perspectives.
Additionally, the Gakushuin University Graduate School has a full range of assistance available to graduate students not only in the form of scholarships, but also grants to support them in giving scholarly presentations in Japan or overseas; and several graduate students have received high acclaim for their research results. The Gakushuin University Graduate School produces capable people who after graduation go on to make full use of their advanced specialized knowledge, some pursuing careers in research, others building careers in a wide variety of fields.

Educating Boys to Become Self-Reliant as they Contemplate the Path They Will Take in Life

Students who enter Gakushuin Boys' Senior High School are surprised at the freedom afforded the students, which runs contrary to their preconceived ideas about Gakushuin. Teaching staff interact daily with the students with an eye to the future when they will eventually become independent and go out into the world. Students learn to make decisions on their own and learn that these decisions have consequences, a process through which they become aware of the responsibility inherent in freedom.
Classes are taught at an advanced level by specialist teaching staff. Integrated studies are not constrained within the framework of subjects such as law, the humanities, nature, arts, etc., and lessons are equivalent to those at university level. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for university, with a diverse selection of courses covering students' interests and future career paths. To promote international exchange, a system has been put in place that enables students to study abroad for a year without being held back a grade when they return, thus enabling them to advance in step with their classmates. This is a very popular programme, with some twenty or so students going to study abroad each year. The Gakushuin Boys' Senior High School provides an environment equipped with the facilities and systems to allow students to pursue their interests to the fullest and from these real-life experiences they take the first step toward independence as an adult.

Training Mind and Body Builds a Foundation for Learning Fostering the Budding Character of Each Individual

Gakushuin Boys' Junior High School is equipped with a clay field, an artificial turf playing field, two gymnasiums, a heated pool, tennis courts, a martial arts dojo and a wealth of other facilities so that students may devote themselves to athletics to their hearts' content. Students participate enthusiastically in class matches, athletic meets and in school events such as long-distance hiking, camping etc., through which they learn discipline as they strive to reach their goals while working together in cooperation with their classmates; and in this way, they grow into fine young men who are both physically and mentally strong.
Because of the school's vertical integration with Gakushuin Boys' Senior High School, the flexible curriculum puts the emphasis on the development and honing of basic academic skills. There is no cramming of knowledge: rather an education is provided that fosters the ability to pursue knowledge. The school provides an environment in which students are not necessarily limited to a particular framework of subjects, but can study broadly and deeply. For instance, in the sciences, students study with teaching staff who are experts in physics, chemistry, biology, and the earth sciences respectively, and learn mainly through experimentation as they handle precious specimens. For student counselling and non-curricular guidance, there is on each floor, separate from the staff room, a supervisor's office for teachers assigned to that grade, where guidance can be given that respects the personality of the individual.

A School that is a Crucible for the Fostering of Character and Intellect Refining these Attributes Day by Day

With a cheerful greeting of“gokigen-you"" (a courteous way of saying“Good day to you all""), students pass through the gate and through the grove of cherry trees as they head toward the main schoolhouse, which looks just as it did when the school first opened. Laughter is everywhere. As students walk through the brightly-lit atrium, they chat with each other on their way to their classrooms. This is how the day begins at Gakushuin Girls' Junior and Senior High School today and every day.
In classes that set great value on process, the initial focus is on writing. Students are afforded many opportunities to express what is inside them: what they think, how they feel. From that training are created exceptional artistic and spiritual works. As the school had always accepted a large number of students returning from living abroad, in 1977 an entrance exam for overseas returnees was instituted. With returnee students as well as foreign students among the student body, overseas study tours and going abroad to study are commonly-available opportunities at Gakushuin Girls' Junior and Senior High School. The course of study also offers a wealth of experiences that are ahead of the times with regard to active learning and internationalization, issues that must be dealt with in today's society.
The new General Gymnasium, which came into use in October 2017, supports the students' sports and cultural activities. Students take the initiative in conceiving ideas for, cooperating in, and organizing the school's sports days, culture festivals, field days, end-of-school-year arts festivals and other traditional events. Students create memories and friendships that will sustain them throughout their lives. These shared experiences build bonds that transcend generations. Gakushuin Girls' Junior and Senior High School are always looking ahead to the needs of society, and have created an environment where girls acquire the character and intellect befitting the women of their times. Rough diamonds to begin with, the students at Gakushuin are polished to bring out the brilliance of each and every one of them so that they may head out into the wider world with confidence.

A Focus on the Spirit of Honesty and Compassion Develops a Keen Eye for the Essentials

The Primary School curriculum emphasises the education of the spirit; sincerity, distinguishing right from wrong, practicing self-restraint and caring others.
In every classroom, we can see that pupils have civil discussions about their own thoughts and ideas, and listen intently to the opinions of their classmates. Knowledge gained through careful observation and reflection, invoking different perspectives and points of view in exchanges of opinion with classmates, is profound yet practical.
Every member of the teaching staff is an expert in his or her respective field; single-subject teachers are assigned to classes starting in the lower grades, and in the higher grades all classes are taught by specialist teachers. Experienced and committed teaching staff pick up on small flashes of brilliance in a child’s ideas and expand on them into a learning opportunity.
In an environment where each subject is taught continuously from the very basics, children can further develop and expand their creativity.

Building a Well-Rounded Foundation through Play

Since Gakushuin Kindergarten was established, the curriculum has emphasized play and placed a high value on children's spontaneous, self-directed activities. Our aim is to provide an education in a free and unrestricted environment in which children will acquire proper values and the confidence to accomplish what they set out to do. While valuing the natural way that children live and play, Gakushuin Kindergarten provides an education that imbues in children four attributes: an honest and considerate heart, proper life habits and attitude, the ability to be self-motivated, and a foundation for sociability.
Surrounded by large trees, the courtyard gives the impression of being in the middle of a forest and is a place where children are able to perceive and appreciate the four seasons. As time flows serenely by, children find their own style of play and become engrossed in it. In this secure atmosphere, surrounded by warm-hearted and affectionate instructors, the children reap the spiritual, physical and mental benefits of play, creating memories and developing the ability to enjoy interacting with their friends. We believe this is the sustenance from which we derive the magnanimity to be a complete person.