Ochanomizu Universty is one of the oldest women's university in Japan. Photo provided by Yoshino Yamashita.

Located in Toyko, Ochanomizu University is one of the two women’s universities as well as the oldest women’s university in Japan. “Ochanomizu” means honorable tea. The total number of students is 3,000 including foreign students. It has three undergraduate courses: Faculty of Letters and Education, Faculty of Science, and Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences – and five Humanities and Sciences courses of master and doctoral program – Comparative Studies of Societies and Cultures, Human Developmental Sciences, Gender and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, and Advanced Science.
There are not many departments due to its size but the university still offers an excellent education with interesting courses in diverse fields within the departments. There are also foreign exchange student programs for which most students are either from China or Korea.
One of the unique features of Ochanomizu University is its size. Most classes are very small in size which allows students to have deeper discussions and interact with each other as well as with the professors. The small class size creates better connections for friends and it is quite often when I meet a student who is actually a friend of my friend. Not only is the student body small in number but also the size of the campus. It only takes about 20 minutes to walk through the entire campus. The campus of Ochanomizu University is small, but there are kindergarten through high school buildings in one campus. If you enter the campus from the main gate, you can find the huge ginkgo tree and an old auditorium. This auditorium is chosen as a cultural asset of Japan.
The atmosphere of the campus is tranquil, and you can hear the sound of children playing outside and playing music. Along with the calmness, vast amounts of hydrangeas bloom across the campus and the campus looks beautiful.
The university is located in  Ochanomizu where the college derives its name. Ochanomizu is especially known for its wide variety of musical instrument stores. There are several instrument stores filled with guitars, keyboards, or drums.
You can easily visit places like Ikebukuro, Ginza and Shinjuku to shop, eat, and hang out with friends because it is close to the subway.
Ochanomizu University may have a small class size, student body, and campus but it has a warm and home-like atmosphere. Some students focus on their club activities, and others make great efforts in studying for their future.
There are many kinds of part-time jobs in Tokyo, so students often work as they like. Once in Tokyo, you will not be able to miss Ochanomizu University because of its beautiful hydrangeas on campus and music playing in the street!

*Yoshino Yamashita is currently studying at Ewha as an exchange student.

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지