Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU)

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) was recently founded in 2000. Three parties from the public and private sectors collaborated to establish the university. These include Oita Prefecture, Beppu City, and Ritsumeikan. The university is one of the top international private institutions in Japan.

There are two undergraduate colleges at the university, the College of Asia Pacific Studies and the College of International Management. The university’s graduate schools also offer programmes in Asia Pacific Studies and Management. Each school and college has a number of courses that specialise in specific areas of both fields.

Student life outside of the classroom is rich and diverse. APU has a variety of extracurricular clubs and events that students can get involved in. Throughout the year the university also hosts a series of multicultural weeks, during which a spotlight is put on a different country each week so that students and staff can celebrate its culture and language. In 2003 APU began its own campus festival, Tenkusai, which features global food stalls, colourful performing arts, and traditional music and dance.

APU is located in Beppu, a city in Ōita Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Beppu is a popular tourist destination as a result of its hot spring resorts, which produce more hot spring water than any other Japanese resort. Visitors can also enjoy the city’s range of baths, such as sand baths, steam baths, hot water baths and mud baths. Beppu’s location along the coast makes it the perfect spot for exploring the local beaches. In the surrounding area there are also several mountains to discover.