Beppu is a two-hour train ride from Fukuoka, site of the nearest international air port.

A city of 120,000 people, it is located in central Oita Pre fecture on Japan's southern most island. There are 2,800 hots springs within the city itself. About 12 million peo ple visit the city every year, attracted in large part by the city's hot springs, ocean beaches and beautiful natu ral scenery.

When APU has reached its full enrolment in four years, the city of Beppu will have about 2,000 foreign students and faculty, making it Japan's first truly international college town.