The aim of this paper is to examine how the university experience of geneki is different from the experience of ronin, based on interviews with art university students in Japan, and to discuss the relationship between art university students and yobiko (prep schools). The major findings can be summarized as follows: (1) most students think art university is a world away from yobiko, but cultural resources acquired from yobiko are necessary to pass the university entrance exam and useful for their production of artworks in university; (2) the education provided by yobiko functions as a cultural “buffer” for university experience and also provides a common language for artmakers; and (3) some geneki students report feeling a “geneki complex”, but they cope with this by pursuing their artistic expression.