As one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, Tokyo and its environs will challenge you to look at the world differently. Mastering public transportation, trying exotic foods, encountering the maximum urban environment that surrounds carefully nurtured gardens and parks, experiencing a lifestyle that combines fast-paced modernity with age-old traditions – all of these will expand your view of the world and offer insights into your own reality.
This program is excellent for serious students at all levels who seek to study Japanese language in an intensive 6-credit course and delve into an exciting exploration of Japanese culture.
These dates are preliminary and are subject to change. Students should not book flights according to these dates.
Enroll in one 6-credit Japanese language course. Courses are offered based on student need and usually include five language levels: 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400.
This is a list of planned course offerings. After you are accepted, you will see a list of final course offerings in your MyIESabroad account.
IES Abroad Tokyo organizes field study trips that complement what you’re learning in the classroom, and contribute to your general knowledge of Japanese culture and society.
Students have the opportunity to choose two field study trips. Past trips have included:
Field Study 1: Ryogoku: Edo Tokyo Museumhttp://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/english/
Field Study 2: Ghibli Museum (Mitaka, Tokyo)http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/welcome/
Field Study 3: Kamakura: Great Budda and Hachiman Shrinehttp://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/kanagawa/centralkamakura.html
Field Study 4: Kabuki (Nagatacho, Tokyo)http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki/en/
Our job is to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding what landmarks to see first or discovering the best café—not finding a place to live where you feel comfortable. We do our best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living. Our goal is that when you leave Tokyo, it will feel like home.
You live at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, a residence hall-style accommodation that provides individual rooms. Breakfast is included. The facility includes a cafeteria, a coffee shop, some restaurants, and a convenience store.
Part of making you feel at home in Tokyo is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it’s the orientation program that prepares you for what’s ahead, your housing that is well located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.
Center Newsletters
May 2013 Newsletter
Upon arrival, participate in an orientation that introduces you to Japanese culture, the IES Abroad program, and the city of Tokyo.
Spend a portion of orientation in nearby Narita before heading to Tokyo.
Participate in optional cultural outings to such sites as:
The Fall and Spring Tokyo programs are based at the IES Abroad Tokyo Center and supported by IES Abroad staff. Our Center is located within walking distance of public transportation, Kanda University of International Studies, a seaside park, a Japanese garden, and many public amenities.
Features of the IES Abroad Tokyo Center include:
The Summer program is based at the National Olympic Youth Center, near Yoyogi Park in downtown Tokyo. For more information on this facility, please see http://nyc.niye.go.jp/e/index.html.
Karl FridayIES Abroad Director Karl Friday has been a student, and on-and-off resident, of Japan for more than 35 years, since braving his first Japanese language courses as a sophomore at the University of Kansas. He holds an MA and PhD in History from Stanford University and a BGS and MA in East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Kansas, and has also studied at Tsukuba University in Japan, and at Ewha University and Yonsei University in Korea. A specialist in premodern history, particularly the late classical and early medieval eras, he has authored four books and several dozen articles on samurai history and culture; and has been a professor, visiting professor or visiting researcher at the University of San Diego, the University of Hawaii, the University of Tokyo Historiographical Institutute, Tsukuba University, and the University of Georgia. Outside the office, he is an avid jazz drummer, scuba diver (and some-time scuba instructor), skier, and student of classical Japanese martial art.
Daiji ShinAssociate Director
IES Abroad Staff Mariko IshikawaField Placement Program Coordinator and Customized Programs Coordinator
Hyung-Hye LeeStudent Affairs Coordinator
Natsuko TakahashiCenter Administrative Assistant
Academic Year Faculty John ClammerSocial Anthropology Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Studies, Oxford University
Meiko OkamotoArchitecture Master of Architecture, Yale University
Nana Okura GagneAnthropology Doctor of Philosophy, Yale University
Yuzo SugimotoEconomics Doctor of Philosophy in Economics, Yokohama National University Master of Business Administration in Finance, Pepperdine University
Noriko TadaAnthropology Master of Arts in International and Intercultural Management, School of International Training
Colin TynerHistory Doctor of Philosophy Candidate, University of California, Santa Cruz
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