Ask John: What is Todai?

Question:
Why in Love Hina do they sometimes call the school Keitaro wants to go to Tokyo U and sometimes they call TouDai? And does Tokyo U really exist and is it a good school? What does it specialize in?

Answer:
The University of Tokyo is the most prestigious college in Japan, and the ultimate goal of all Japanese students. At least, the Japanese educational system is designed to convince students that Tokyo University should be their ultimate educational goal. Established in 1877 as “Tokyo Daigaku” (Tokyo University), the college was Japan’s only university until the establishment of Kyoto University in 1897. The school is a general College of Arts & Sciences offering degrees in fields ranging from social sciences to law to engineering to agriculture, science and medicine. While not the top school in Japan in all disciplines, the University of Tokyo is internationally recognized for its excellence in all areas of study that it offers. Tokyo University is, in fact, so prestigious and highly respected that it’s commonly said that just admission into Tokyo University is a guarantee of a good job for life.

Japan, which is quite fond of abbreviating words seemingly whenever possible, has adopted the short nickname “Todai,” a shortened form of “Tokyo Daigaku” (Tokyo University), as a common moniker for the University of Tokyo.