OpenFieldYokohama University of Art and Design (Yokohama Bijutsu Daigaku) is a creative arts and design university in Aoba-ku, Yokohama, renowned for fine art, visual communication design, character modeling, and industrial craft.
Operating an open-studio campus in northern Yokohama, the university fosters individual creative identity across its Department of Art and Design. Specialized courses span contemporary painting, sculpture, ceramic glass crafts, visual design, illustration, and dynamic media animation.
Undergraduate admissions require high school graduation credentials, practical artistic drawing/design examinations (Jitsugi Shiken) or an extensive portfolio review, accompanied by an interview. International students require JLPT N2 or EJU Japanese.
Studio program training professional visual designers in editorial publication design, dynamic typography, digital concept art, brand identity design, and web UI/UX media.
Rigorous studio curriculum exploring oil painting techniques, contemporary Japanese Nihonga pigment methods, lithography, etching, and large-scale spatial installations.
Specialized creative technology track teaching 3D character sculpting, digital rigging, stop-motion animation, concept worldbuilding, and video game visual asset production.
One-year residency fellowship providing dedicated studio atelier space, material funding, and a solo exhibition at the Yokohama Art University Gallery for emerging artists.
Studio craft program emphasizing traditional Japanese kiln ceramic firing, contemporary vessel design, glassblowing, architectural glass art, and sustainable material fabrication.
Need-based tuition reduction granting 30% reduction on tuition fees for self-funded international students demonstrating commendable creative dedication.
Professor of Contemporary Art Theory and Critical Aesthetics · Department of Fine Arts
Prof. Kenjiro Okazaki is a seminal Japanese artist, critic, and author who represented Japan at the Venice Biennale, researching relational aesthetics, cognitive theories of art, and cross-cultural modernisms.
View research profile ↗Professor of Art Curation and Museum Studies · Department of Art and Design
Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Minamishima is former director of the Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, investigating international biennale curation models and socially engaged public art interventions.
View research profile ↗Professor of Visual Communication and Typography · Department of Design
Prof. Masako Sato directs research in editorial book art and typographic legibility in bilingual Japanese-Latin script design, designing award-winning corporate identities and cultural exhibition publications.
View research profile ↗University profile compiled from official Yokohama University of Art and Design academic bulletins and institutional directories reviewed on 2026-10-16. OpenField is an independent research guide.