Japan Women's University Celebrates 125th Anniversary and New Beginning of Faculty of Letters with "Book Cafe 125" at 45th Homecoming Day
Japan Women's University celebrated its 125th anniversary and the new start of its Faculty of Letters at the 45th Homecoming Day, featuring "Book Cafe 125." This event highlighted the university's evolving educational landscape and celebrated its history.
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Japan Women's University (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, President: Satoko Shinohara) celebrated its 125th anniversary on Monday, April 20, 2026. On Saturday, April 18, the 45th Homecoming Day was held, co-sponsored by the Japan Women's University Educational and Cultural Promotion Oufukai, an alumni association of the university. As the main event, "Book Cafe 125" was held at the entrance of the Centennial Hall High-rise Building and its front Izumi Promenade, commemorating the name changes of two departments in the Faculty of Letters from the 2026 academic year.
This event was planned as a place where visitors could renew old friendships while picking up one of the 125 new and old works spun by successive faculty members of the Faculty of Letters. The spatial design was handled by students of the Faculty of Architecture and Design, which opened in 2024. The Centennial Hall High-rise Building entrance was categorized as the "Cafe Area," and the Izumi Promenade as the "Picnic Area," aiming to create spaces where visitors could stay according to their preferences. Furthermore, the madeleines offered here were a modern arrangement and reproduction of a traditional recipe passed down at the university since the mid-Showa era, advised by teachers from the Faculty of Food Science (opened in 2025), and created by two patissiers who are graduates of the Faculty of Home Economics, Food Science Department (now Faculty of Food Science). Visitors enjoyed them with President Shinohara's recommended coffee.
Visitors commented, "I was able to talk slowly with friends in a place I used to frequent every day during my student days," enjoying the content created through the cooperation of multiple faculties and departments on a single theme.
The university will continue to provide new value to society through initiatives that connect the history of learning with new challenges.
"Cafe Area" at the entrance of the Centennial Hall High-rise Building with furniture designed by students of the Faculty of Architecture and Design. "Picnic Area" at Izumi Promenade with furniture normally found in the library (designed by Kazuyo Sejima, an architect and university alumna).
Madeleines were produced by "Petit Coin" (Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture) and "Patisserie Emallure" (Soka City, Saitama Prefecture), whose patissiers are alumni. A picture book corner was also set up in the lower floor of the Centennial Hall, with storytelling by students from the Department of Child Studies.
■Regarding the change of department names in the Faculty of Letters
In April 2026, the "Japanese Literature Department" in the Faculty of Letters was changed to "Japanese Language and Literature Department," and the "History Department" to "History and Cultural Studies Department." In the Japanese Language and Literature Department, in addition to exploring Japanese literature, efforts will be made to cultivate human resources who can hone "language" as a skill in the fields of Japanese linguistics and Japanese language education, accurately analyze information, understand diverse opinions with an "open mind," and possess information processing abilities required in the digital age, as well as human resources who can respond to internationalization. In the History and Cultural Studies Department, not only the acquisition of knowledge but also the cultivation of historical thinking skills through historical materials and ancient documents will be pursued, offering "history as a practical basic science" that considers how to live in international society. At the same time, students will learn about "culture," which is an expression of the human heart, deepening their understanding of the culture underlying society and also learning about representational media, thereby acquiring a multifaceted and multilayered perspective to view the world from the past to the present and future, with intercultural understanding as a starting point.
【Reference Links】
Faculty of Letters Special Website
https://www3.jwu.ac.jp/fc/public/unv/humanities/
Japan Women's University Centennial Hall High-rise Building Entrance Renovated Based on Award-Winning Design Ideas from the Faculty of Architecture and Design (Press release announced on March 2, 2026)
https://www.jwu.ac.jp/unv/news/2025/eu1rc1000006fm6v-att/PRESS_RELEASE_20260302.pdf
Japan Women's University was founded as Japan's first organized higher education institution for women and celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2021. It is the only private women's university with a Faculty of Science and is a comprehensive women's university with an interdisciplinary educational environment. Under the tagline "I act, the world opens," it fosters human resources who can learn, act, and create new value on their own. The "Faculty of Architecture and Design" was opened last year, and the "Faculty of Food Science" was opened this year. Furthermore, with the planned name changes of two departments in the Faculty of Letters in the 2026 academic year, the planned establishment of the "Faculty of Economics (tentative name)" in the 2027 academic year, and the planned establishment of the "Faculty of Fashion Design (tentative name)" and "Faculty of Human Sciences (tentative name)" in the 2028 academic year, the university continues to advance its reforms. For more details, please visit https://www.jwu.ac.jp.
Please download the press release material from the link below.
d73471-154-2285fc454c8013e0174aafbe03b2704b.pdf
This event was planned as a place where visitors could renew old friendships while picking up one of the 125 new and old works spun by successive faculty members of the Faculty of Letters. The spatial design was handled by students of the Faculty of Architecture and Design, which opened in 2024. The Centennial Hall High-rise Building entrance was categorized as the "Cafe Area," and the Izumi Promenade as the "Picnic Area," aiming to create spaces where visitors could stay according to their preferences. Furthermore, the madeleines offered here were a modern arrangement and reproduction of a traditional recipe passed down at the university since the mid-Showa era, advised by teachers from the Faculty of Food Science (opened in 2025), and created by two patissiers who are graduates of the Faculty of Home Economics, Food Science Department (now Faculty of Food Science). Visitors enjoyed them with President Shinohara's recommended coffee.
Visitors commented, "I was able to talk slowly with friends in a place I used to frequent every day during my student days," enjoying the content created through the cooperation of multiple faculties and departments on a single theme.
The university will continue to provide new value to society through initiatives that connect the history of learning with new challenges.
"Cafe Area" at the entrance of the Centennial Hall High-rise Building with furniture designed by students of the Faculty of Architecture and Design. "Picnic Area" at Izumi Promenade with furniture normally found in the library (designed by Kazuyo Sejima, an architect and university alumna).
Madeleines were produced by "Petit Coin" (Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture) and "Patisserie Emallure" (Soka City, Saitama Prefecture), whose patissiers are alumni. A picture book corner was also set up in the lower floor of the Centennial Hall, with storytelling by students from the Department of Child Studies.
■Regarding the change of department names in the Faculty of Letters
In April 2026, the "Japanese Literature Department" in the Faculty of Letters was changed to "Japanese Language and Literature Department," and the "History Department" to "History and Cultural Studies Department." In the Japanese Language and Literature Department, in addition to exploring Japanese literature, efforts will be made to cultivate human resources who can hone "language" as a skill in the fields of Japanese linguistics and Japanese language education, accurately analyze information, understand diverse opinions with an "open mind," and possess information processing abilities required in the digital age, as well as human resources who can respond to internationalization. In the History and Cultural Studies Department, not only the acquisition of knowledge but also the cultivation of historical thinking skills through historical materials and ancient documents will be pursued, offering "history as a practical basic science" that considers how to live in international society. At the same time, students will learn about "culture," which is an expression of the human heart, deepening their understanding of the culture underlying society and also learning about representational media, thereby acquiring a multifaceted and multilayered perspective to view the world from the past to the present and future, with intercultural understanding as a starting point.
【Reference Links】
Faculty of Letters Special Website
https://www3.jwu.ac.jp/fc/public/unv/humanities/
Japan Women's University Centennial Hall High-rise Building Entrance Renovated Based on Award-Winning Design Ideas from the Faculty of Architecture and Design (Press release announced on March 2, 2026)
https://www.jwu.ac.jp/unv/news/2025/eu1rc1000006fm6v-att/PRESS_RELEASE_20260302.pdf
Japan Women's University was founded as Japan's first organized higher education institution for women and celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2021. It is the only private women's university with a Faculty of Science and is a comprehensive women's university with an interdisciplinary educational environment. Under the tagline "I act, the world opens," it fosters human resources who can learn, act, and create new value on their own. The "Faculty of Architecture and Design" was opened last year, and the "Faculty of Food Science" was opened this year. Furthermore, with the planned name changes of two departments in the Faculty of Letters in the 2026 academic year, the planned establishment of the "Faculty of Economics (tentative name)" in the 2027 academic year, and the planned establishment of the "Faculty of Fashion Design (tentative name)" and "Faculty of Human Sciences (tentative name)" in the 2028 academic year, the university continues to advance its reforms. For more details, please visit https://www.jwu.ac.jp.
Please download the press release material from the link below.
d73471-154-2285fc454c8013e0174aafbe03b2704b.pdf