we built this section because our team applied to japanese unis at 17 and got terrible information. agents wanted referral fees, forums were years out of date, the universities spoke in code.

here are the five things that would have changed our applications. you might already know them. just in case.

01"english-medium" doesn't mean english-only.If you want a shōsha job after, JLPT N2 is basically required. 78% of grads placed at shōsha had it.

02QS rankings under-rate japanese unis.The methodology weights english-language research output. Sophia is much stronger on domestic employer surveys than its #951 rank suggests.

03scholarships pay out by region.Watanabe (US-passport), Rotary (district-based), JASSO (post-arrival). Different countries get different shots — your hometown matters.

04the visa is the easy part.If you graduate from an accredited Japanese uni, the post-grad work visa is essentially automatic. The hard part is getting the offer.

05liberal arts at a japanese uni ≠ liberal arts in the US.You will still write a thesis. You will still take Japanese language. There's no "design your own degree" loophole here.

what we won't do & what we get wrong.

a small operating manual

↯ what we won't do

no "elite," no urgency.

we won't tell you sophia is "world-class" or that tokyo is "vibrant." we won't email you a fake countdown clock. that's marketing. we'll tell you median first salary, actual accept rates, and which scholarships fired.

↯ what we get wrong

send corrections, please.

we get things wrong. when we do, we publish a correction on the monday after we hear. 14 corrections logged in 2026 so far. drop us anything you've spotted — sources welcome but not required.

ask · cites sources

Still have questions about undergrad in Tokyo?

Ask anything. We'll show our working and tell you what we don't yet know.

→Cheapest English BA in Tokyo? →Compare top Tokyo universities →Which programs let me work here after? →Best scholarships for international students

↯ we'll be honest with you

We're not a placement agency, we don't take university referral fees, and our AI is wrong sometimes — when it is, the answer will say so. Powered by double--dash AI, a small team trying to make life-decision data comparable.

not sure if undergrad in tokyo is right for you?

2-minute review · cited sources · honest gaps · no follow-up email unless you ask

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4 universities. 1 program.

the 4--at a glance.

Sophia University

Tokyo International University

Tokyo Metropolitan University

Waseda University

Where the cohort ends up.

What it actually costs.

Intake calendar.

scholarships, by passport & province.

MEXT U-grad

Watanabe Memorial

JASSO Honors

Sophia Univ. Spon.

five things we wish someone had told us.

what we won't do & what we get wrong.

no "elite," no urgency.

send corrections, please.

Still have questions about undergrad in Tokyo?

not sure if undergrad in tokyo is right for you?