Campus and Facility | Admissions

The OIST campus is a unique piece of architecture, designed from the start to provide the best possible environment to catalyze outstanding research and education. From the outside, the buildings evoke a science fiction version of a traditional Okinawan castle with soaring skywalks, shimmering lakes, ramparts overlooking beautiful forest and old Okinawan stone walls.

The OIST campus gives students an unrivalled living experience to complement the many opportunities for discovery and innovation.

The Architecture

Inside, everything has been calculated to maximize the efficiency of research and teaching activities with the credo that the more people share space and equipment, the more they share ideas. Look left, look right and you gaze through windows onto the turquoise lagoon and the deep blue of the East China Sea or the deeper greens of the forest.

Take a virtual stroll through the campus with the Google Indoor View of OIST.

The Tunnel Gallery

Everyone working at OIST comes up to the campus through the main gallery. From the entrance gallery, take a glass elevator through the light shaft, and then move out to the different buildings. It is not possible to work at OIST without meeting up with other people.

Campus Facilities

The Campus has all the standard facilities: a library, many meeting rooms, a 500-seat auditorium, a café, a restaurant, child-care center, and a health center. The Campus Village has all the requirements for a comfortable and healthy life: a gym, a shop, a launderette, community rooms and landscaped gardens. Next to the village is the Child Development Center providing care and early learning for OIST children. Within 10 minutes of the Village zone there is a wide choice of restaurants, a range of beaches and forest trails, and ample shopping.