Program Overview

The CLS Japanese Program in Okayama, Japan provides students opportunities to learn Japanese both inside the classroom and in an immersive cultural setting during an intensive 8-week language program set on the center of west Japan, where one can experience the traditions of the people who have been settled in Okayama for countless generations. The CLS Japanese Program is hosted by Okayama University (OU), which follows the footsteps of educational heritage of the Shizutani-school, the oldest school in Japan built for citizens by the Lord of Okayama in the Edo Period. In 2014, OU was selected for the Top Global University Project by the Japanese government in recognition of its innovative leadership in internationalization. You can find out more about OU and Okayama on Okayama University’s website.

Students receive a minimum of 20 hours per week of formal classroom instruction where they learn the four major skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing in Japanese. A cultural class is included as part of the CLS Japanese curriculum allowing students to study a different element of Japanese culture each week and then participate in an activity or excursion related to that week’s topic. With its rich natural environment of fertile lands and Seto Inland Sea - the largest inland sea in Japan, students will have opportunities to interact with members of both agricultural and marine communities which follow sustainable development goals and practices.

Outside of formal classes, the CLS Japanese program offers students many opportunities to engage with the local community and culture. These experiences allow CLS Japanese students to gain unique insight into Japanese culture and develop close bonds within a typically conservative society. Altogether, students will cover the equivalent of one year of Japanese instruction at a U.S. institution during the course of the summer.