student club welcome activities on Waseda Campus in April 2025
Prospective students may be excited about university student clubs because they seem free and fun but may also have doubts about what they actually do and worries about whether they will be able to find student clubs that suits them. Waseda University has about 500 "official student clubs" recognized by the university, and it is said that there are more than 3,000 unofficial or unregistered ones. In this article, we will introduce Waseda University's student clubs, which are among the largest and most diverse in Japan, from basic information to their profound appeal!
INDEX
▼The biggest difference from high school is the "freedom of activities" and "broad range of goals"
▼ Feel the overwhelming enthusiasm at the "Welcome Events" and "Waseda Festival "
▼ Student club activities are a place for growth
The biggest difference between high school and university is the "freedom of activities" and the "wide range of goals"
First, let's get some basic information about university student clubs. Like high school club activities, university clubs are extracurricular activities, and in addition to daily practice and meetings, they also carry out a variety of activities such as participating in tournaments, hosting events, and holding training camps during long holidays. The biggest difference from high school clubs is the freedom of activity and broad range of goals.
Unlike high school, where there is an advisor to manage activities, students are primarily responsible for running the club, deciding on the content and frequency of activities and managing finances. Student clubs meet about once a week, and it is common for students to belong to multiple student clubs at the same time (commonly known as "double clubs"). Another difference from high school is that there are intercollegiate student clubs where students from other universities can participate together, and student clubs with an atmosphere where you can join and leave casually. You don't necessarily have to belong to a student club.
And at Waseda University, there are approximately 500 officially recognized student clubs alone. This speaks to the wide range of activities and objectives. They are broken down into a wide variety of categories, including sports, academics, media and publishing, culture and art, and international exchange and volunteer work. Even within the same genre, there may be multiple student clubs due to differences in activity objectives and content. For example, even just looking at officially recognized student clubs, there are 19 tennis clubs, 25 dance clubs, and 27 student clubs! On the other hand, there are many unique student club, such as the VTuber study group, Strawberry Daifuku Research Society, Monster Alliance, etc.
Unlike student clubs, there are 44 athletic clubs under the supervision of Athletic Center that aim to be number one in Japan and even the world in competitive sports. One of the joys of being a Waseda student is going to the baseball and rugby Sokeisen(sports games against our rival Keio University) and cheering on the track and field team at the Hakone Ekiden as part of student club activities.
[[[[Waseda University Official Circles Guide translate by WOVN]]]]
You can search for approximately 500 official student clubs by keyword or genre. Find the student club that's right for you!
The overwhelming energy of the "Welcome Events" and "Waseda Festival"
Of course, Waseda's student clubs are not only characterized by their large number. Every year, student club recruitment begins on the day of Entrance Ceremony on April 1st and are one of the main events of the year for each club. Some student clubs start preparations several weeks, or even months, in advance, with the desire to "share the appeal of our student club with as many new students as possible" and "welcome new members." From distributing flyers and posting on social media to setting up welcome booths, holding information sessions, performing arts exhibitions, and more... The passion for making new friends during student life livens up the campus in the spring.
A welcome event at Waseda Campus in April 2025. The campus is packed with so many students that there is barely any space to walk, and studsent clubs and other groups put on welcome performances on the outdoor stage. On the right is a performance by the cheerleaders of the cheerleading club.
The indoor welcome booths set up on Waseda Campus
Waseda Festival, a student-run school festival held annually at Waseda Campus and Toyama Campus in early November, is a place where the overwhelming enthusiasm of student club activities can be felt and where many student clubs can present the results of their activities. In 2024, over 400 events were held over two days, November 2nd and 3rd, and the number of visitors was approximately 200,000. Waseda Festival Management Staff (Festival Staff), who organize and run the Waseda Festival, said to be the largest school festival in Japan, is also one of the officially recognized student club, with approximately 600 members.
In addition, the Science and Engineering Exhibition is held at Nishi-Waseda Campus, and the Tokorozawa Campus Festival is held at Tokorozawa Campus.
A scene from Waseda Festival 2024. Several stages were set up on campus, and performances by various student clubs were held over the two days (Photo courtesy of Waseda Festival 2024 organizing staff)
At Waseda Festival 2024, 85 food and drink stalls were set up both indoors and outdoors (photo left). Many events and exhibitions were also held indoors (photo right) (Photo courtesy of Waseda Festival 2024 management staff)
Student club activities are a place for growth
Student clubs are not just a place to have fun with like-minded friends. There are many opportunities to learn and grow through these activities, and these experiences will be of great use to you when job hunting or after you enter the workforce. Here, we introduce some students' opinions on the appeal of student club activities and the learning and growth they can gain from them.
Meeting new friends and expanding friendships
Since the timetable for university classes varies from person to person depending on the course registration, you basically move to a different classroom for each class, and the people you take the class with also change. In addition to the friends you make through your studies, the appeal of student club activities is that you can meet friends with common hobbies and goals across faculties and grades.
The people you meet in student clubs have different backgrounds and values. The ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds or the tolerance to accept opinions different from one's own, and communicationpower are naturally cultivated.
"Young Kimono Club" by Nagisa Nishimura, 3rd year, School of Culture, Media and Society
In this student club, we practice how to put on kimono and yukata, and take walks around Asakusa and Kamakura in kimonos. You can join practice sessions whenever you like, so the members you see are different each time. For me, who studies at Toyama Campus, it was also an opportunity to connect with students from other campuses. One time, students from the School of International Liberal Studies joined the practice, and despite the language barrier, we spent time teaching each other how to tie obi using gestures and simple English, which was very warm and had a mysterious sense of unity. We also share information about kimono that students can buy at affordable prices, go to art museums in yukata, and our connections with people are expanding.
An environment where you can fully devote yourself to what you love and take on new challenges
University life offers more free time than high school life, so student club activities allow you to fully devote yourself to what you love. Another appeal of student club activities is that you can enjoy and pursue what you love with your friends.
In addition, because you are committed to your work, you will encounter many challenges and failures. From the skills and experience you gain, you can expect to grow in many ways, such as your ability to execute tasks and persevere, the experience of working toward a common goal as a team, and the ability to learn from failure.
"Glee Club" Shinji Yamazaki, 4th year, School of Political Science and Economics
I belong to a male chorus student club that was founded 118 years ago. We host several concerts, but as the biggest regular concert, where we sing in front of an audience of about 2,000 people, approaches, I visit the campus frequently even on days when I don't have classes and immerse myself in the chorus from morning to night. Because of my position, I often have the opportunity to teach my peers and juniors, so I often struggle with not having enough time to work on class assignments and reports. It goes without saying that we feel a sense of unity as we work together towards the concert, and a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment when we finish it safely, but at the same time, I feel that I have naturally acquired the ability to handle multiple tasks at once and the ability to switch between "on" and "off," which has allowed me to balance my studies and extracurricular activities.
The autonomy required and the skills it fosters
Student clubs can range in size from dozens to hundreds of people! Regardless of the size, students develop organizational management skills, planning abilities, schedule management abilities, and more through student-led operation.
In addition, Waseda University's officially recognized student clubs elect three people in charge, known as the "student club Three Officers (Chief Secretary, Vice Chief Secretary, and Accountant)." If you become one of the three officers, you will be required to have greater leadership and a sense of responsibility.
"Waseda Festival Management Staff (Festival Staff)" by Moeri Matsudaira, 4th year, School of Social Sciences
During my third year at university, I was in charge of over 600 staff members as vice representative, which is equivalent to the vice secretary general in a normal student club. Because Waseda Festival is run by students, we also have the responsibility. In emergency response efforts, if a major earthquake were to occur during an event attended by 200,000 people over two days, what preparations and measures would we make, and who would act where and how to save as many lives as possible? Members shared their opinions, actively discussed from various angles, and formulated a plan. It was an experience that made me truly aware of the fact that we were not only helping to liven up the school festival, but also taking responsibility for our own actions.
What do you think about the appeal of student club activities? In the "Student Clubs" section of "Waseda Weekly," we feature many student clubs, so be sure to check it out! Waseda University actively supports student club activities, which are a source of energy for Waseda students. We look forward to seeing all of you prospective students on campus!
Photography: Kota Nunokawa
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