Faculty Members

“Our goal is to foster the able students who can contribute to the creation of a new age”
Doshisha University Center for Japanese Language and Culture took its first small step in April, 1999, when we accepted six exchange students and eleven privately financed international students. So many students have studied at the Center and they are now playing an active part in the international society. Although the history of the Center for Japanese Language and Culture is quite short compared to the more than 100-year history of Doshisha University, I can recall a variety of invaluable experiences and precious memories during the past six years. I really appreciate that I have learned a lot through communications with each student.

It is said that whereas the keyword of the 20th century was “strength” that of the 21st century is “weakness.” We, the faculty members of the Center, devote ourselves to the education of our students every day, wishing to send out able students into the international society, who use their abilities as conscience dictates and create the world of the 21st century where the strong and the weak can live together. We wish to foster broad-minded, capable students who can put the mind on “the things which are not seen” as well as acquiring Japanese language and culture. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 CORINTHIANS, 4.18)

Let’s study together at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture. We are sincerely looking forward to meeting you.

“Invaluable encounters in Kyoto”
Hello everyone. My name is Li Changbo. I am teaching Japanese to international students at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture.

Since I first came to Kyoto in the autumn of 1989, I have been based in Kyoto all these years for both study and work. Before I knew it Kyoto has become my hometown, and I found myself unable to live away from the city. I have visited numerous shrines, temples and historic sites, but I still sometimes find something new as I walk along the streets, and the sight of the Kamo River always makes me feel relaxed.

Kyoto is a city of natural beauty and cultural richness. The Kamo River flows very close to Doshisha University and its appearance changes from season to season, no, from moment to moment, enchanting everyone who walks by. Kyoto attracts many international students who come here to appreciate the traditional cultures of Japan and the beauty of the country’s nature. It is a perfect place both for experiencing the profundity of Japanese culture and for multicultural communication. And most of all, Kyoto offers you a relaxed study environment.
Language is a wonderful bridge that connects people, and a key to unlock the door to a new world. Come join us at Doshisha University and open the door to the new world and invaluable encounters through studying Japanese.

“Build a foundation for your future at Doshisha University!”
Hello everyone. I am Suh Yoon Soon of the Center for Japanese Language and Culture.

Kyoto, where Doshisha University is located, is a fascinating and unique city where the past and the present coexist. At the same time with preserving buildings that are more than thousand years old and various historic legacies in every corner, the city also accommodates such cutting-edge world-class companies as Nintendo, Kyocera and Wacoal. Doshisha University has been a part of the history of the city. I believe that Kyoto in its present form exists thanks to its past, a strong foundation of its long history and traditions. Such thick layers of history and traditions are the driving force that creates new ideas and possibilities, and connects the present and the future.

Have you ever pictured how you will be like in the future? I guess you have various images of your future job, home and family. To realize those images, you have to form a solid foundation for your future, which is the present and also the past if you look back on it from the future.

I sincerely hope that you will make the most of your time in Kyoto and Doshisha University to experience the dynamism of the past, present and future, draw a clear vision of your ideal self and create a bright future.

I will do my best to support your studies at Doshisha University and help you build a solid foundation for your future. I am looking forward to meeting you in my class.

“We are waiting for you in Kyoto”
Doshisha University is located near the center of Kyoto city, and within walking distance from its campus are various facilities that have contributed to creation and preservation of the culture of Kyoto throughout its long history, such as Kyoto Imperial Palace and many temples and shrines, other historic heritages, studios of traditional crafts, head families of tea and flower arrangement schools, and long-established stores of Japanese sweets. I have no doubt that Doshisha University is a perfect environment for international students to gain firsthand experience and deep understanding of the Japanese language and culture.

The faculty and staff at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture and its Bekka Program are all fully committed to helping international students realize their goals and dreams. Since its establishment in 1999, the Center has accommodated an increasing number of international students every year, whose backgrounds have become increasingly diverse as well. Their pathways after completing our program have also diversified, with some of them proceeding to undergraduate and graduate studies, while others find a job in Japan, or return to their home country for further studies, or study abroad in another country. But what has remained the core of our teaching method all these years is our commitment to each one of our students and our enthusiasm to give them relevant advice and support according to their individual needs. We would like each one of our international students to be truly satisfied with their life at Doshisha, and to make the most of their experience here for their promising future. These are our wishes shared by all the faculty and staff members of the Center.

Please feel free to visit us at Doshisha University. We are looking forward to meeting you.

“Find the treasures of life at Doshisha”
I suppose there are various reasons why you are thinking of studying at Doshisha University. Because you want to get in touch with the culture of Kyoto and learn more about Japan? For work or research? Because you want to deepen your relationship with Japanese friends? You could be a fan of Japanese manga, anime and games. You may want to enjoy student life at Doshisha's fashionable campus.

All are great reasons.

The Center for Japanese Language and Culture of Doshisha University is equipped with experienced faculty and staff and abundant educational facilities, making it a great learning place for everyone who would like to find and pursue their dreams. In addition, our university attaches great importance to conscience and hopes that you will be the person who contribute to your neighbors and the world. Our mission is to build a better world full of mutual understanding and respect.

In my personal opinion, living abroad is "three times more painful and 1,000 times more fun" than living in your own country. I used to work in Beijing, China for about 10 years. I had a lot of painful experiences such as language barriers, differences in ways of thinking and customs, and political issues. But looking back now, it was really fun! The time spent there is my pride, and the bonds with the people I met there are treasures of my life.

We hope that you will enjoy "1000 times more fun" in studying abroad at Doshisha University. You will spend time that you can proud of and have wonderful encounters that would be treasures in your life.

We, the staff, will do our best to be one of your treasures!

“Japanese Language Education as a Lifelong Asset”
I have been teaching at Doshisha University for well over a decade. During the course of doing so, which has proved a great learning experience, I have often ruminated on the question of what makes this university appealing not just to Japanese students but also to so many students from overseas. Although the answer is difficult to nail down, my gut feeling, based on my experience, is that the underlying factors contributing to the university’s appeal are the ethos and education championed by the university’s founder Jō Niijima, which have been kept alive and current by generation after generation of students.

After studying at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture, international students pursue their respective academic and professional paths—some taking up careers in their home countries, while others continue postgraduate education in Japan. Whatever path they choose, I have always derived enormous pleasure from learning about the current preoccupations and activities of former students.

Distance and years may separate us, but the bond uniting the community of students and faculty at the Center for Japanese Language and Culture remains strong, which allows us to look to each other for moral support and inspiration, even long after we have left Doshisha.

The Center’s faculty and staff members make unreserved efforts to prepare students for the global stage. It is our constant hope that the experience of studying here will support students in one form or another for the rest of their lives.

I am thrilled and looking forward to meeting new students coming to study at Doshisha University.