Kumamoto is located in the middle of Kyushu, which is quite different from urban areas of Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka.  While Japanese would call Kumamoto the "countryside", the pace of life is a bit slower and it’s a safe place to travel, live and study, as well as being much more economical. When you arrive to Kumamoto, you’ll be greeted by the beautiful green countryside. The downtown area, with Kumamoto Castle standing at the center of the city, is clean and beautiful with abundant greenery.  Kumamoto city has been called the City of Woods.  You’ll also find our university campus clean and beautiful with many trees and open spaces. Kumamoto City has a population of about 670,000.  It’s just the right size, not too big nor too small, and close enough to Fukuoka, the biggest city of Kyushu, with a population of over one million, to get to the big city.  Our university’s size is also just right, with about 8,000 students enrolled.  Our campus is small, you can never get lost in it, and it is much easier to make friends here. People in Kumamoto are warm hearted, so you can find many friendly faces here.  You will be able to meet many nice people, make many good long lasting friendships. KGU hosts a handful of exchange students a year, therefore, you will receive more attention and assistance than other universities which host large groups of exchange students.  For the exchange students, the KGU International Residence was built in 1998, giving you an affordable place to live. We now have internet in the Residence so you can easily keep in touch with friends and family back home while you are here. Being out of the big city means more chances to practice your Japanese, as well as participate in university club activities. Kumamoto is a region richly endowed with nature.  An active volcano with the world's largest caldera, beaches, and as well as many historical places are just some of the things that wait for you.