University of Shizuoka

University of Shizuoka (Shizuoka Kenritsu Daigaku) is a public university in Shizuoka, Japan. Its Japanese name is translated to the Prefectural University of Shizuoka, which was simplified to the University of Shizuoka for English speakers. This has caused some confusion, as there is another nearby national university with a similar name in English - Shizuoka University.

Located in the prefectural capital of Shizuoka, the main campus of Yada is near Kusanagi Station on the JR Tokaido Main Line, six minutes from Shizuoka Station. Two townships, Shimizu and Shizuoka, merged to form a single city in 2003 and the campus sits halfway between them. It is also an important part of a major cultural and educational complex which includes the Shizuoka Prefectural Library and the Shizuoka Prefectural Art Museum.

Established through the amalgamation of three former public colleges in 1987, it has now expanded to include five colleges: the school of pharmaceutical sciences, the school of food and nutritional sciences, the faculty of international relations, the school of administration and informatics and the school of nursing.

In addition to the undergraduate programmes offered in the various departments of these colleges, the university also maintains graduate schools in each of the five colleges, as well as a variety of research institutes, interdisciplinary centres and other research centres. The university also operates a two-year junior college, which is on a separate campus from the main university.

Shizuoka Prefecture is located in central Japan, and boasts easy access to metropolitan areas such as Tokyo and Osaka. Shizuoka’s climate is temperate and it has rich natural surroundings. It flourished as a location along the Tokaido road, the main route between Tokyo and Kyoto during the Edo Period (17th to 19th Centuries).