2023 Summer Intensive Japanese Program

Students in the Japanese Program are enjoying their days at Shimane University in the Summer Intensive Japanese Language Program designed for students taking Intermediate and Advanced Japanese courses for six credit hours.

The intensive Japanese Language Program offers students an opportunity to develop their Japanese language skills through intensive training and experiencing Japanese culture and lifestyle, and to earn an internationally recognized certificate of Japanese language proficiency.

The program on June 8 began with a formal welcome from Hiroki Otani, vice president of research and globalization from Shimane University. The host of the event was professor Kozo Hirose, director of the Center for Foreign Language Education. Following a self-introduction from each student, Kile Harvey represented the group of 12 students in the 2023 program to deliver a formal speech in Japanese.

After three weeks of pre-departure class meetings in Fayetteville, students traveled to Japan for spend four weeks of language training and visits to historical and other significant landmarks, along with various activities with Japanese students. Program students will gain well-rounded cultural awareness and experience by visiting Shimane Prefecture, the heartland of traditional Japan; Tokyo; and Yokohama (on Tokyo Bay in the Kantō region), the symbol of modern Japan. As part of the explorations out of class time, this trip will guide students to a wide range of venues in Japan such as historical landmarks, museums and state-of-the-art metropolitan attractions. Before returning to the U.S., all students in the program will take the official Japanese Language Proficiency Test in Yokohama.

For more information on the Summer Intensive Japanese Program or the Japanese Program at the U of A, please contact Tatsuya Fukushima, associate professor of Japanese, at tatsuya@uark.edu.

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.