Wakeijuku (和敬塾), literally meaning "a place to seek harmony and respect", is an all-male

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

located in the Mejirodai neighborhood in the

Bunkyō is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as ...

ward of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Established in 1955 by Kisaku Mayekawa,

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and founder of Mayekawa Manufacturing Company, Wakeijuku has been the home of students of Japanese universities for more than sixty years, including nearby

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

. Wakeijuku alumni include four former Japanese prime ministers and Japanese author

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for hi ...

Location

Wakeijuku is located on the spacious grounds of a former feudal lord's

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

, at a prestigious address in central Tokyo. Residents simultaneously have convenient access to such major centers of Tokyo as

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro Station, and several shops, restaurants, and department stores are located within city limits. Transportation At the center of Ikebukuro is ...

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

Takadanobaba is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. History Originally, the area's name was read ''Takatanobaba'' and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it as such. However, younger Tokyoites and residents who have come from outside ...

, and Yurakucho, while living in a secluded natural setting with gardens and trees. The Wakeijuku grounds also have tennis, basketball, and soccer facilities, and the institution is less than a five-minute walk from two public parks and the nearby

Kanda River The stretches 24.6 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka, Tokyo, Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taito, Tokyo, Taitō, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, and Sumida, Tokyo, Sumida. Its entire length lies within Tok ...

. The former Foreign Minister of Japan

Makiko Tanaka is a Japanese politician. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and his official wife Hana. Early life Tanaka attended high school at Germantown Friends School in the United States and graduated from Waseda University. She ...

lives next door in a house that belonged to her father, former Japanese Prime Minister

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. Known for his background in construction and earthy and tenacious political style, Tanaka is the only modern Japanese prime minister who ...

The dormitories

Wakeijuku is composed of six dormitories, namely East or Higashi (東), West or Nishi (西), North or Kita (北), South or Minami (南), Tatsumi (巽) which loosely translates as ''Southeast'', and Inui(乾) which loosely translates as ''Northwest''. Each dormitory has its own traditions, blogs and activities.

The mansion

The most notable landmark on the Wakeijuku grounds is the old Hosokawa Marquis residence called “The Mansion”, built in 1936 by the 16th generation of the Hosokawa House. It is a representative of an official noble residence at the beginning of the

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

. The external facade is based on a British Tudor-style architectural design and the interior is a creative mixture of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, Tudor and

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

designs. In 1955, the entire Hosokawa residence including the Mansion was purchased to make way for the construction of the Wakeijuku dormitories. The Mansion was kept to preserve the cultural heritage and history of the area. Currently it serves as a venue for symposia, concerts, plays, wedding banquets and art exhibits and serves also as a residence for guests of Wakeijuku. The mansion is also a tourist attraction and has been used as a location for Japanese film and television productions that require Shōwa era or European themed residences.

Wakeijuku in fiction

In the novel '' Norwegian Wood'', written by

, the main character resides in a dormitory modeled after Wakeijuku and also attends a university modeled similarly to nearby

. It also appears in the TV dramas

Fugo Keiji is a 2005 Japanese drama broadcast by TV Asahi based on a novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui. Synopsis Miwako Kambe, the granddaughter of a millionaire, becomes a detective and starts working at a police station where there are few wome ...

Full Throttle Girl is a 2011 Japanese television drama, Japanese television series that aired on Fuji Television from July 11 to September 19, 2011. It starred Yui Aragaki and Ryo Nishikido. Plot Wakaba (Yui Aragaki) dreams of becoming an international lawyer ma ...

Engine Sentai Go-onger is Toei Company's thirty-second installment in the Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It aired from February 17, 2008 to February 8, 2009, replacing ''Juken Sentai Gekiranger'' and was replaced by ''Samurai Sentai Sh ...

Kamen Rider Kabuto is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the sixteenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Asatsu-DK and Toei. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi. The ...

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger is a Japanese Tokusatsu television show and the twenty-eighth production of the ''Super Sentai'' Media franchise, metaseries produced by Toei Company, Toei. It aired from February 15, 2004, to February 6, 2005, replacing ''Bakuryū Sentai Abara ...

Kamen Rider Agito is the eleventh installment in the popular Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider tokusatsu franchise. The series represented the 30th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series. The series was also a joint collaboration between Asatsu-DK and Toei Company, ...

GARO (TV series) , sometimes referred to as , is a Japanese tokusatsu television series broadcast on TV Tokyo and TX Network, its affiliates from October 7, 2005, to March 31, 2006, lasting 25 episodes (with one additional "Overview" special, summarizing the eve ...

, and in the manga

Zeni Geba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by George Akiyama. Publication The series was originally serialized in Shogakukan's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from 1970 to 1971, with its chapter ...

Jin (manga) is a Japanese ''seinen'' manga written and illustrated by Motoka Murakami, which was featured on '' Super Jump'' during its original run from 2000 to 2010. It was compiled into 20 ''tankōbon'' by Shueisha and published between April 4, 200 ...

Deka Wanko is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kozueko Morimoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''josei'' manga magazine ''You'' from April 2008 to January 2013, with its chapters collected in 12 ''tankōbon'' volumes. A 10-episod ...

, GodHand Teru,

Aim for the Ace! ''Aim for the Ace!'', known in Japan as , is a manga series written and illustrated by Sumika Yamamoto. The series tells the story of Hiromi Oka, a high school student who wants to become a professional tennis player as she struggles ag ...

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

and Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation. It also appears in the novel

Never Let Me Go (novel) ''Never Let Me Go'' is a 2005 science fiction novel by the British author Kazuo Ishiguro. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize (an award Ishiguro had previously won in 1989 for '' The Remains of the Day''), for the 2006 Arthur C. C ...

External links

(The Mansion) {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Bunkyō Tokyo Metropolitan Designated Tangible Cultural Property