In addition to official instruction, many students take part in club activities. If you wish to know Japan and get better acquainted with Japanese students, participation in club activities will prove to be extremely rewarding. Official sports-clubs, are clubs recognized as such by the university and represent the university in tournaments. Usually, these clubs train a lot (daily) and demand a lot, if not all, of your time.

University sports clubs are however not as professional as in many US universities, where they are important sources of revenue. So, you do not need to be of professional level to join these.

There are also a number of official arts clubs, such as the Symphony orchestra. For clubs such as these, you will probably have to do an audition. But if you are really into playing an instrument one of these might be suitable for you.

Besides these clubs there are also a lot of semi-official and un-official clubs on campus, the so-called "saakuru", both sports and arts and culture. Some are just groups of people who like to play soccer, others can be very esoteric (game design etc). These clubs are usually more laid-back and in the case of sports have a less strict training regimen.

Be aware, however, that club activities are organized and carried out on the principle of student autonomy. To join a club, you must visit the clubroom you are interested in. At Higashi-Hiroshima campus, the clubrooms of sports clubs are on the 2nd floor of Club House, while Cultural Circles are on the 1st floor of a different clubhouse. You will get a list with clubs at the Orientation. Below is a sample of the kinds of clubs available:

Sports Clubs; martial arts, racquet sports, ball sports, bat and ball sports, dancing, archery, athletics, yachting, rowing etc.

Music Clubs; guitar, chorus groups, bands, orchestras, Noh drama etc

Cultural Circles: cinema groups, photography, drama, software, cards, outdoor activities, chess, shadow pictures etc.

For more details of the clubs, please refer MOMIJI.