Past Program Highlights

The 2025 TMU Summer Program

The 2025 TMU Summer Program brought together 18 students from 11 universities and 7 countries for a three-week immersive experience at the Minami-Osawa Campus in Tokyo. Under the theme “Tokyo Through Time,” participants dove into Japanese language and culture.

Japanese Language Class

Students were placed into three different classes based on their proficiency, with a focus on practical Japanese for travel and daily life. They learned how to describe themselves and their surroundings, gaining essential communication skills.

Japan Studies

As a core part of the program’s theme, students attended lectures like "The Evolution of Tokyo as a Global City” and “Architecture Explored Through the Meaning of Space.” Our faculty members discussed Tokyo’s transformation from the Edo period to the present day and compared the distinct spatial concepts of Japanese and Western architecture.

Field Studies

Students explored the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, where they toured buildings spanning from the early Edo period to the mid-Showa period. This field trip brought their Japan Studies lectures to life, allowing them to see the history they had been learning about.

For the second trip, students visited Nishikawa Koryuza in Takao to see a performance of Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo, a traditional puppet theater designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.

Workshops

Beyond their studies, students participated in a variety of hands-on cultural workshops.

Japanese Calligraphy (Shodō)

Star Festival (Tanabata)

Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chadō)

Final Presentation

To wrap up the program, each student selected a topic based on their language classes, cultural lectures, or personal experiences. They then created and delivered a presentation on what they had discovered and learned throughout their three weeks in Tokyo.