Kobe College

Kobe College, abbreviated to KC, is a private non-sectarian liberal arts college located in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan. Chartered in 1948, it is the first women's college with university status in West Japan. Since its foundation in 1875, Kobe College continues to provide a well-balanced education for women based on Christian principles. This is expressed in the school badge and color designed in 1885 by E.M. Brown, the third college president. The motif of the school badge is the honewort which expresses harmony of "body," "spirit," and "soul." The school color is dark blue which expresses "peace" and "truth." The College was originally located on Yamamoto Street in Kōbe, Japan. It is now located in Okadayama Town in Nishinomiya City on the Hankyu Train Line. The property was previously owned by the Sakurai family of the Matsudaira clan, a branch to the Shogun family. There are 2,624 students on campus and 624 of them are freshmen. Kobe College has five departments: English, general culture, music, psychology, and Biosphere Sciences. Students, especially those who belong to general culture department, can learn a wide range of subjects in the first two years to find their interests and decide what to study in the next two years. At Kobe College, students can study in small classes; they can focus on their study and the relationship between students and teachers can be much closer. Most of the students are from among the Kansai area that spans from Kōbe to Osaka and extend to Kyoto cities; however, there are some students who are from western Japan or other parts of Japan, and the College offers Mary and Grace Stowe Dormitories on campus for them with 179 single rooms. Other students stay in apartments along the Hankyu Line.