The Final Rebellion – Graduation Ceremony at Kyoto University (Cosplay Party!)

Tertiary education in Japan is difficult. Very difficult

One of the hardest things and most stressful times in the lives of Japanese boys and girls is the time of university entrance exams. In Japan, the university where they study determines the rest of their lives. It will determine what job they can get, the salary they’ll earn, and sometimes even who they’ll marry.

There’s a concept in Japanese called se ma kimon, which literally means “narrow gate”. The concept mostly refers to the low percentage of applicants who get accepted into the best universities in Japan. And when it comes to Kyoto University, the leading university in Japan and one of the top universities in Asia, the gate is very narrow indeed. If you get into it, it normally says something about you (at least Japanese people see it that way). The university has a reputation for setting intensive degree programs and difficult exams, and for conducting important research. It takes pride in its successful alumni, one of whom – Akira Yoshino – even won the Nobel Prize.