''Ōbirin daigaku'' -- note that "Ōbirin" is written in the

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

for "beautiful cherry orchard". is a private university in

Machida, Tokyo is a Cities of Japan, city located in West Tokyo, the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 428,851, and a population density of 6,000 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The university was founded by

Yasuzo Shimizu was a Japanese educator and Protestant Christian missionary in China. He established the Chongzhen School for the poor in Beijing, and the Obirin University in Tokyo. General Yasuzo Shimizu was born in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and became a Chris ...

. Its name is derived from that of

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

J. F. Oberlin J. F. Oberlin (31 August 1740 – 1 June 1826) was an Alsatian pastor and a philanthropist. He has been known as John Frederic(k) Oberlin in English, Jean-Frédéric Oberlin in French, and Johann Friedrich Oberlin in German. Life Oberlin was b ...

, and the name also shows the university's historical ties with

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is the birthplace of the ...

, which the university's founder attended.

Reconnaissance Japan program

English-speaking foreign students may study for a semester or year at J. F. Oberlin through the university's Reconnaissance Japan (RJ) program. In the RJ program, students take a Japanese language course (which can be tested out of) as well as English-language courses in Japanese culture. During their study at J. F. Oberlin, students may stay with a Japanese host family, live in a university-provided apartment such as New Shimura Heights, or International House (known by students as Pink House), or find their own housing. J. F. Oberlin has a number of international partner academic institutions from which students are welcomed to study in the RJ program.

Faculties

*College of Arts and Sciences *College of Business Management *College of Health and Welfare *College of Performing and Visual Arts *College of Global communication

Junior college

The

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

of Oberlin University was founded in 1950 and became coeducational in 1999. It was closed in 2007.

Notable alumni and faculty

Yinling Yan Yinling ( or in Japanese, ; born February 15, 1976) is a Taiwanese-born, Japan-based swimsuit model, race queen, singer and former professional wrestler. She is called also Yinling of Joytoy (インリン・オブ・ジョイトイ), when she ...

: Japan-based swimsuit model, race queen, singer and former professional wrestler *

Yuka Kashino (born 23 December 1988), nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and dancer. She is known as one of the members of the electropop group Perfume. Biography Kashino was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan, where she attended Actor's School Hiroshima w ...

: member of technopop group

Perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

Ayano Ōmoto , nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and dancer. She is known as one of the members of the Japanese electropop group Perfume. Biography Ōmoto was born and raised in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and attended Actor's School Hiroshima wit ...

: member of technopop group Perfume *

Matt Kuwata , known professionally as or Matt Rose, is a Japanese media personality, model, and musician. Early life His father is former professional baseball player Masumi Kuwata; his older brother Masaki is also a former professional baseball player, a ...

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as "tal ...

, model, and musician

References

External links

Obirin University's homepageOberlin Center for International Studies
{{Authority control J. F. Oberlin University Christian universities and colleges in Japan Private universities and colleges in Japan Educational institutions established in 1921 1921 establishments in Japan Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia Western Metropolitan Area University Association Machida, Tokyo