NEWS

ISPJ2025: International Summer Program in Japanese Successfully Concluded

Update: September 3, 2025

This July, the International Summer Program in Japanese (ISPJ) was successfully concluded. This year, many international students from seven countries and regions participated in the program. In addition to intensive Japanese language learning in the Japanese Language Module, they also completed the Japanese Studies Module, where they studied together with ICU students.

Japan Studies Module

This year's Japan Studies Module was offered under the theme "Us and Them." Why are concepts such as uchi and soto (inside and outside) and honne and tatemae (real intentions and public face) considered so important in understanding Japanese society? In this program, students explored this question from multiple perspectives through omnibus-style lectures across various fields, discussions, and field trips outside the classroom.

In ISPJ2025, the program highlighted two perspectives:

1. "Uchi and soto" as a key to understanding the Japanese approach to their environment — with examples from Japanese art, philosophy, religion, and ecology.
2. "Uchi and soto" as a way of defining and justifying the in-group and the out-group — with examples from history and anthropology.

The program also featured field trips to Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) and Meiji Jingu Shrine, providing students with valuable learning opportunities beyond the classroom.

Japanese Language Module

The Japanese Language Module consisted of task-based Japanese language classes and elective Japanese culture courses held every Tuesday. In the language classes, ICU student assistants and volunteers participated, providing students with many opportunities to interact with native speakers of Japanese. In addition, this year the program offered the following 12 culture courses, giving participants opportunities to experience and deepen their understanding of Japanese culture from a variety of perspectives:

1. Japanese Eco-Bags: Let's Try Using Furoshiki
2. Learn Kanji from Japanese Names
3. Let's Try Speaking Like Japanese Young People Using Youth Slang!
4. Let's Write Haiku with Seasonal Words
5. Let's Learn about Japanese Traditional Culture: Calligraphy
6. Experience Traditional Japanese Martial Art: Aikido
7. Let's Explore Japanese Dialects!
8. Let's Make an Art Using Kanji
9. Let's Have Fun with a Wasei-Eigo Quiz!
10. Feel the Sounds of Japanese! A Fun Performance with Onomatopoeia
11. Let's Learn about Japanese Culture and Language through Play!
12. Let's Try Voice Acting!

Student Speeches

On the final day, students presented speeches reflecting on their experiences and learning during the program.

Jeremy Fernandez, Student at University of California, Berkeley, USA (presented in Japanese)