Diversity at MGU

Globalisation, multiculturalism, internationalisation

by

NAOTO PASSA MITSUSE

KEIGO FRANK MITCHELL FURNIVAL

JAAK BAYERS

SHUNKI FURUSAWA

The Yokohama campus of Meiji Gakuin University (MGU) is a diverse area where many people of different backgrounds can work together and enjoy each other’s cultures. The campus was not this diverse before, however, as the Department of Global and Transcultural Studies which hosts most of the foreign exchange students in this school was only founded in 2011. MGU was always a Christian school since its foundation by American Dr. James Hepburn in 1863, but the many elements of globalisation have only just arisen in recent years. The cafeteria sells food such as spaghetti and katsu-curry, blending multiculturalism with Japanese food, and many posters exist across campus that link to other countries and religions. A building covered in global flags labeled the international centre is prominent for holding global get together events, as well as helping students who want to study abroad. In this article, we will focus on two of the biggest aspects of multiculturalism on the campus, being the Christian chapel and the prayer room, and how the Totsuka campus has made attempts to preserve its Japanese culture, via the Japanese room in building 8.

Christian chapels are one of the iconic symbols of Christian Schools like Meiji Gakuin. At Totsuka campus, the ceremony for joining the university is held here, as well as chapel hours during lunch, ceremonies on Easter and pipe organ lessons. A billboard is seen next to it, promoting their hosting of Christmas events as we move towards the holiday season. It is also worth noting that the Shirokane Chapel of Meiji Gakuin’s Shirokane campus is one of the most popular and favourite buildings to be mentioned in the university’s advertisements and photos. The chapel was built in 1916 by an American architect and educator William Merrell Vories, and it was registered as Japan's important culture property in 1989 due to its historical background. In 2012 it was also registered as Tokyo’s historic buildings of scenic importance. The chapel also holds wedding ceremonies for families of Meiji Gakuin graduates and teachers as well. This chapel can become a great memory for students even during university and after graduation as well. 

Meiji Gakuin also has a prayer room to offer, dedicated towards those who hold different faiths for each other who wish to practice the values of said faith. Inside the international centre is a narrow room in the corner, labelled the “prayer space.” Inside are quotes on paper stuck onto the wall, most of which resemble the values of Islam, a prying mat and a stand for religious text books. Upon asking a Muslim student on campus, he claims anyone of any faith can use the prayer room, but mostly Muslim students are the ones using it. The faith room is free for anyone from Muslims to Christians, and Hindus to Jews to use. This room represents the globalisation of this Yokohama campus, to the point that a Christian school in Japan has a prayer room for global students of different varying religions, as many students come from abroad to study. 

In building 8 of the Yokohama campus, a room on the ground floor called the “tea room” in Japanese lies next to the kitchen. In the main lounge where mostly foreign students and Japanese students who study English eat together, with posters in English covering the corridors, one single aspect of Japanese culture exists. As if a house from the Meiji era was encapsulated into a single room, this room has traditional Japanese tatami and windows, serving almost as a reminder that this campus is in Japan. This room acts as a preservation of Japanese culture amongst this diverse room. With a balance of Japanese culture and foreign cultures, Japanese students and foreign students, this tea room completes the diverseness of the main building for students who major in the faculty of international and global studies. This room is sometimes used for the regular event where teachers and students can freely chat with each other. This room is suitable for creating such a comfortable atmosphere.

Whether it be the Christian chapel, the multiculturally accepting prayer room, the food or the posters, the Totsuka campus of Meiji Gakuin University hosts a wide variety of aspects that are welcoming to foreign exchange students. Having various forms of praying on campus is welcoming to those of different faiths from across the world, and the tea room simultaneously serves to preserve and remind of the Japanese culture that is the base of Meiji Gakuin University.