News & Events

In 2031, Meiji University will celebrate 150 years since its foundation.
This plan is positioned as a key objective of the facility development plan in the MEIJI VISION 150—Go Forward, which defines the ideal image of Meiji University in preparation.
Now, as part of the 150 Year Anniversary Project, three “dreams” are beginning to take shape.

1. Inheriting Hilltop Hotel – Meiji University’s dream of taking on new challenges

In November 2024, Meiji University announced its plan to inherit the historic Hilltop Hotel building.
The Hilltop Hotel is a stately Art Deco style architecture designed by William Merrell Vories based on a donation by SATO Keitaro, a graduate of Meiji University. Since its opening in 1954, this authentic hotel has been recognized for its superior services and beloved by literary figures and intellectuals. Editors from publishing houses clustered in neighboring Kanda-Jinbocho provided literary giants with a writing place in this prestigious hotel to inspire their creativity. Regular guests included KAWABATA Yasunari and MISHIMA Yukio. MISHIMA conveyed his deep attachment to Hilltop Hotel in a handwritten letter. Historical novelist IKENAMI Shotaro often painted during his stays, and his works were displayed in the hotel.

Thus, Hilltop Hotel is more than just an accommodation facility — it is a concentration of memories that shed light on the Showa era from a cultural perspective.
In other words, inheriting Hilltop Hotel means not only preserving its building but also its cultural memories. How can the hotel be repurposed as a space for the university’s fundamental activities —education, research and societal contribution— while also serving as a place to shape its future? We are committed to tackling this fascinating challenge.

2 SURUGADAI 6.0 of the Meiji University’s 150 Year Anniversary Celebration Project starts: – Meiji University’s dream realized through future-focused campus

In December 2024, Meiji University announced SURUGADAI 6.0, a comprehensive facility development plan for the Surugadai Campus.
The concept calls for creating a new campus where physical and virtual spaces are fused together and aims to create a place (space) for education

Key points of the project
Integration of the Nakano Campus
We will integrate all institutes and facilities currently located on the Nakano Campus into Surugadai Campus in about 10 years. This integration will promote the fusion of multiple disciplines of education and research, and more interdisciplinary and advanced education and research will be developed at the Surugadai Campus.

Designing new spaces for education, research and student support for the next generation
Reconstruction and renovation across the Surugadai Campus are scheduled to take place over the next 14 years.
At the new Surugadai Campus, which will be reborn, a large-scale construction and relocation is planned, including the construction of a new education building and a new faculty office building, which will be shared by all the institutes currently located on the Nakano Campus and Surugadai Campus, the construction of the Student Center, which will be a place for students’ extracurricular activities, and the rearrangement of various institutes and facilities after the renovation of other school buildings.
SURUGADAI 6.0 aims to create a place (space) for education and research where the development of knowledge can be further expanded by connecting with not only students and faculty but also people around the world without barriers.

3. The Challenge of Hakone – Meiji University’s dream entrusted to the Shikon Tasuki

In January 2025, the “Shikon no Tasuki (bluish-purple sash) Project – Reviving M’s Glory” was announced.

In October 2024, Meiji University Ekiden team finished a disappointing 12th in the qualifying race for the 101st Tokyo-Hakone Round Trip College Ekiden Race, failing to reach the final for the first time in seven years. Moreover, our team has been away from championship glory for more than 70 years, with its last victory in 1949.
To break this cycle and take the Ekiden section of the Track and Field Club to new heights, we launched the “Shikon no Tasuki Project – Reviving M’s Glory” as part of its 150 Year Anniversary Project.

The project goes beyond simply returning to the Hakone Ekiden final. It is an ambitious seven-year challenge with the ultimate goal of winning the final in the 2031 academic year (January 2032), coinciding with the university’s 150th anniversary.
The road ahead is long and steep, and it will be anything but easy. However, Meiji University is committed to making this “dream” a reality, strengthening its support for the Ekiden team in its pursuit of victory.

April Dream, hosted by PR TIMES, is a project where organizations share the dreams they aspire to achieve in the future on April 1.