17 Best universities for Creative Writing in Japan

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Japan ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 26K citations received by 4.33K academic papers made by 17 universities in Japan was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Tokyo

For Creative Writing

#26 in Asia

#422 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,918
Founded: 1877

2. Kyoto University

For Creative Writing

#33 in Asia

#464 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 22,365
Founded: 1897

3. Iwate Prefectural University

For Creative Writing

#88 in Asia

#759 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Founded: 1998

4. University of Tsukuba

Japan | Tsukuba

For Creative Writing

#90 in Asia

#764 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Enrollment: 16,684
Founded: 1973

5. Nagoya University

For Creative Writing

#133 in Asia

#934 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 15,959
Founded: 1939

6. Waseda University

For Creative Writing

#135 in Asia

#941 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 47,094
Founded: 1882

7. Ritsumeikan University

For Creative Writing

#140 in Asia

#954 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1899

8. Kyushu University

Japan | Fukuoka

For Creative Writing

#141 in Asia

#955 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 18,813
Founded: 1911

9. Keio University

For Creative Writing

#144 in Asia

#965 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 33,518
Founded: 1858

10. Osaka University

For Creative Writing

#148 in Asia

#978 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 23,234
Founded: 1931

11. Tohoku University

For Creative Writing

#189 in Asia

#1139 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 17,975
Founded: 1907

12. Sophia University

For Creative Writing

#236 in Asia

#1289 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 13,280
Founded: 1913

13. Hokkaido University

Japan | Sapporo

For Creative Writing

#273 in Asia

#1406 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Enrollment: 17,770
Founded: 1918

14. Doshisha University

For Creative Writing

#291 in Asia

#1452 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 28,354
Founded: 1920

15. Hiroshima University

Japan | Higashihiroshima

For Creative Writing

#308 in Asia

#1485 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 15,505
Founded: 1949

16. Rikkyo University

For Creative Writing

#387 in Asia

#1643 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment: 20,720
Founded: 1922

17. Nihon University

For Creative Writing

#418 in Asia

#1686 in the World

Founded: 1889

The best cities to study Creative Writing in Japan based on the number of universities and their ranks are Tokyo, Kyoto, Iwate, and Tsukuba.