 Tokyo Guide: Tokyo University
Tokyo  Kyoto Osaka Atami Fukuoka Hakone Himeji Hiroshima Ibaraki Ise & Toba Kamakura Kanazawa Kirishima Kobe Koyasan Magome & Tsumago Nagasaki Nagoya Nara Niigata Nikko Oita & Beppu Okayama & Kurashiki Okinawa Saitama Sakurajima Sapporo Sendai Shizuoka & Hamamatsu Shodoshima Toyohashi Tsukuba Yanagawa Yokohama
What's on right now in Tokyo
Tokyo Area Guide: Tokyo University
 Tokyo University (or Todai for short) is Japan's most prestigious university. Tokyo University usually ranks as Japan's best university, often number one in Asia and in the top twenty of the world's universities.
Tokyo University was founded in 1877 during the westernizing Meiji Period. Tokyo University has 10 faculties and around 30,000 students on its five campuses at Hongo in the Kanda area of Tokyo, Komaba, Kashiwa (in Chiba Prefecture), Shirokane and Nakano.
Tokyo University was renamed "the Imperial University" in 1886, and "Tokyo Imperial University" a year later in 1887, only reverting to its original name in 1945.
The University of Tokyo, unique among Japanese universities in this regard, has a curriculum involving two years of general education at the Komaba campus in Meguro ward before students specialize in their final two years of study.
The extensive main campus grounds in Hongo are a pleasant place to walk, especially at the weekends. The campus contains some notable historic features such as Sanshiro Pond (previously Ikutokuen) and the Akamon (Red Gate). The campus was previously the Tokyo residence of the Maeda family of feudal lords from Kaga (present-day Ishikawa Prefecture), which was centered on the domain capital of Kanazawa.
Feudal lords were obliged to keep a residence in Edo and visit the capital every other year under a system known as sankin kotai, so that the shogunate authorities could keep a watchful eye on them.
The distinctive Akamon (Red Gate) was built in 1827 for the daughter of Shogun Ienari Tokugawa, named Yasuhime, for her marriage into the Maeda household in 1828.
The gate, which underwent restoration in 1961, is registered as an Important Cultural Property.
Also of interest on the Hongo site is Sanshiro Pond.
Sanshiro Pond was considered one of the most beautiful gardens in Edo (the previous name for Tokyo).
The name Sanshiro comes from a novel of that name by Natsume Soseki set around Tokyo University. The feeling of being in a city completely disappears.
Although care is required when wet, the path and stepping stones around the Sanshiro Pond are worth navigating for the various vantage points on the pond's beauty.
The grounds of Tokyo University's Hongo campus are planted with ginkgo trees, known for their endurance and longevity, and the ginkgo has become the symbol of the university.
Besides Todai, other universities in the Hongo area are: Nihon Denki University, Meiji University and Nihon University.
Tokyo University
Tel: 03 3812 2111 (General enquiries)
Campus Access
The nearest Tokyo subway stations to the Hongo campus of Tokyo University are Todaimae on the Namboku Line and Hongo Sanchome on the Marunouchi Line.
For the Komaba campus take a Keio-Inakashira Lina train to Komabatodaimae Station.
For the Kashiwa campus (Tel: 04 7136 4003) take a bus (25 minutes) from either JR Joban-Line and Tobu Noda-Line Kashiwa Station or a bus (15 minutes) from the Tsukuba Express Line Kashiwanoha-campus Station.
For a full listing of Tokyo Museums & Art Galleries click here
Ski resorts near Tokyo
Book Hotel Accommodation in Tokyo Here
Hostels in Tokyo - Hostelworld
Hotels in Tokyo - Bookings
Hotels in Tokyo - HotelClub
Hotels in Tokyo - Agoda
Book A Tour of Japan
Tours of Japan - Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, Kyoto, Nagoya
Rent A Mobile Phone
Rent A Mobile Phone in Tokyo
Find Bars, Restaurants and Clubs in Tokyo Here
Tokyo: Entertainment: Bars, Restaurants, Clubs in Tokyo
| 
