Yamanashi Gakuin University (YGU) was established in 1946. Today it is part of a comprehensive education institution that includes a kindergarten, elementary school, high school, college and graduate school.
The university is located in Kōfu, the capital of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The majority of the northern area of the city is part of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, which offers numerous hiking trails. On all four sides, Kōfu is surrounded by mountains and to the south is Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain at 3,776 metres. The city of Kōfu has become the centre of Japanese wine production and is home to various wineries, offering wine tasting and tours.
Academically the university is organised into five departments: department of law; department of politics and public administration; department of business administration; department of nutrition and department of sport science. It also has the Graduate School of Social Science and the International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA).
The International Exchange Centre is responsible for overseeing the university’s international activity including student exchanges and academic collaboration. The university offers students a Foreign Language Learning Programme and an Overseas Training Programme to prepare them for studying abroad.
Notable alumni of the university include over 40 Olympians, 10 of which competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Yuka Kato was the first ever Japanese female swimmer to win a medal in three swimming events at the Olympics. Naito Ehara, Olympic swimmer, graduated from the university in 2015 and won a bronze model at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In 2004 the university received an award from the Japan Olympic Committee in recognition of their excellence in the sporting world.
