)
)
20 WEEKS | 15 CREDITS
Language & Culture in Tokyo
Experience a blend of ancient traditions and cutting-edge innovation during a semester in Tokyo. Kickstart your immersion with Japanese language courses before exploring Japanese history, culture, and global presence in your courses at J.F. Oberlin University. Outside your adventures in Tokyo, visits to cities like Kyoto and Hiroshima will broaden your understanding of your host country. Return home with transferable credit, a profound appreciation of Japanese language and culture, and the skills to thrive in your continued studies.
UPCOMING TRAVEL DATES
Aug. 7, 2025 – Dec. 23, 2025
)
)
)
)
IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNER IN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE, J.F. OBERLIN UNIVERSITY
)
)
Areas of study
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Group excursions
These immersive visits will provide deeper insights into your host country, allow you to explore different regions, and create immersive learning opportunities.
Take one of Japan’s bullet trains — which go up to almost 200 miles per hour—to Kyoto, the center of traditional Japanese culture. There, you’ll dive deeper into Japan’s Buddhist culture by visiting a local Buddhist temple and enjoying a guided Zen meditation class. Wander through Fushimi Inari, a Shinto shrine famous for its thousands of red Torii gates, and spend free time exploring Kyoto at your own pace.
Gain a deeper understanding of the modern history of Japan through a visit to Hiroshima, known as the City of Peace. Visit Peace Memorial Park to see the ruined Atomic Bomb Dome, marking the exact location where the atomic bomb detonated during World War II. Learn about the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing and the mission to create a world without nuclear weapons during a visit to the Peace Memorial Museum.
Throughout the semester, connect your curriculum to the world around you alongside industry experts during relevant field visits, such as visiting the gaming centers of the Akihabara neighborhood to explore the significance of anime, manga, and gaming within local communities.
)
)
)
EF Coursework
Students will jumpstart their journeys with an immersive Japanese language course at our EF Study Center. After being placed in the class that aligns with their skill levels, students will dive into coursework alongside learners from around the world and continue honing their language skills through optional activities.
Students will examine their place in the world as they explore what matters to them, what they believe in, and what they want to achieve. Through reflection and engagement with their peers and the local community, students will learn to work through differences to address challenges related to the economy, environment, politics, education, technology, and society.
J.F. Oberlin University
This course explores multilingualism through a social and critical approach. It will explore questions around what constitutes a language, our beliefs around how language works, and how language plays a role in education, migration, media, and identity formation. Students will reflect on their own experiences with language within the context of globalization.
This course examines how the historical development of Japan from the 19th century to modern day has influenced the daily lives of the people of Japan, considering how values, norms, and ideologies have emerged and been expressed in fashion, films, popular songs, and foods. Students will consider impacts on Japanese culture from overseas, and they will examine one of Japan’s most pressing current challenges: rapid population aging.
This course explores the complex history of the U.S.-Japan relationship from historical, military, political, social, and economic perspectives. Students will unpack the outsize influence the U.S. has had on Japan, and they will gain a deeper understanding of why Japanese society is the way it is today.
)
)
What’s included
Tuition for this 20-week program is $22,500 and payment plans are available. Your program tuition includes:
“Tokyo is a hub of science and technology that provides students with opportunities to explore and critically engage with technologies that will shape the future.”
)
Markus S.
EF Program Development
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Students interested in embarking on an EF Foundation Program must be at least 18 years old, hold a U.S. passport, maintain a 2.5 GPA minimum, and be a high school graduate by departure day in order to apply.
Fall 2025: Aug. 7, 2025 – Dec. 23, 2025
*Required fields
By submitting your information, you agree to allow EF to process your personal information in accordance with EF’s Privacy Policy and to allow the use of your data for direct marketing purposes. By entering your mobile number, you agree to receive recurring text messages about upcoming offers from EF Gap Year at the number provided and you understand that consent to receive marketing text messages is not a condition of purchase. You agree to all EF Texting Terms and Conditions.
)