Japan

Anime & Manga

Immerse yourself in the anime and manga capital of the world. Develop your illustration skills and design techniques through interactive classes with industry experts.

  • Art

  • Language

  • Outdoor Activity

WHY STUDY ANIME AND MANGA IN JAPAN?

Learn from the best as you attend a reputable anime school in Tokyo, one of the safest and largest metropolitan areas in the world. Develop your artistic ability and style through classes taught in Japanese by design and animation professionals. 

Practice animation techniques such as color blending with Copic markers; inking with fountain pens; and screen-toning, a method of applying textures and shades to drawings. Work on character development; then take your characters from paper to the screen through digital animation using programs like Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, and After Effects. 

Immerse yourself in Japan’s pop culture with visits to vibrant neighborhoods. Play games in the colorful arcades in Akihabara, the city’s anime, manga, and tech district, or Ikebukero, known as the Pokémon Center. See the famous alternative street fashion of the Harajuku neighborhood. 

Broaden your perspective on Japanese culture during home visits with local families. Spend time with peers by participating in local high school activities. Learn about Japanese history by visiting shrines and museums and take an excursion to Hiroshima and visit the historic Hiroshima Peace Park and Memorial Museum. 

LEARN BY DOING

The Experiment’s programs are designed to build skills that will help you succeed. In Japan, you will learn: 

TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Japanese language 
  • Digital animation  
  • Anime techniques, i.e., color blending, inking 

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

  • Resourcefulness 
  • Intercultural communication and understanding 
  • Problem-solving 
  • Adaptability 
  • Relationship-building 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

  • Explore urban life by foot (lots of walking!) and learn to navigate the public transit system.  
  • Temperatures and humidity are extremely high during the summer.
  • Meat, seafood, rice, and noodles are staples of Japanese cuisine and will require planning ahead for vegan and vegetarian diets. Your homestay family will be very keen to share many traditional foods and local and regional delicacies with you, and their preparation and your enjoyment of these will be a source of pride for your hosts. Culturally, it is considered very rude to your homestay family to leave food on your plate during meals, so adventurous eaters are appreciated.  
  • Access to the internet is limited and internet speeds and connectivity will vary.   
  • Japan is a conservative country regarding LGBTQ+ issues and you will find traditional gendered spaces, such as male or female-only public/communal baths in the dormitories. We encourage students to approach the program staff for support on gender and sexuality questions and concerns. 
  • The diverse personal and social identities of participants may, in part, shape their experience abroad. In-country partners will discuss cultural norms and the local context during orientation. Please read our approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for further information. We take a collective effort for all students to have a safe space within the program spaces and with the local staff and group leaders.  
  • The Experiment program structure is rooted in experiential learning and cohort-based learning. The participant group experience is a major source of learning for Experimenters and is facilitated by trained Experiment group leaders.

AT A GLANCE

Program Availability

Deadline Passed

Program Date

Jul 7 - Aug 2

Prerequisite

None

Program Fee

$8,238.00

(does not include airfare)
Group Airfare Cost

$2,436.00

Departure City

Los Angeles

WHAT'S INCLUDED
  • Lodging
  • Meals
  • All program activities
  • In-country transportation
  • Health insurance
  • Experienced group leaders

Families or partner organizations are also responsible for arranging and paying for participants' domestic travel to the international departure/return airport in the U.S., whether flying, driving or by other means. By its nature, domestic airfare varies by airline, timing, destination, and availability.

From the streets of Tokyo to the woods of Nanae in Hokkaido, our group traveled everywhere! The anime classes we attended were great and always introduced new and exciting aspects to our art. We did voice lessons, worked with professional animation technology and tools, and learned from experienced instructors.

Sample Itinerary

This itinerary is only a sample and is subject to change. Because of factors such as group size and availability of in-country offerings such as festivals, your experience — including sites visited and the number of days spent in each location — may differ somewhat from the one presented below.

View Itinerary Details

Days 1-13

Orientation, Animation and Manga Study in Tokyo 

  • Get to know other members of your group while exploring diverse neighborhoods such as Harajuku and Akihabara, and visit iconic locations such as Shibuya crossing. 
  • Make your way through the city by way of a scavenger hunt, navigate the city using public transportation, and sample Japanese cuisine. 
  • Participate in drawing and animation workshops and interactive language lessons at a Tokyo-based anime school. 
  • Work with Japanese instructors and student animators to create and animate your own character through design, coloring, and basic animation. 
  • On the final day of classes, share your animation with your group and students from the school. 

During this period, you and your group will stay in a dormitory-style youth center.

Days 14-15

Hiroshima stay 

  • Learn about the history of Hiroshima by visiting the Peace Memorial Museum and Park. 
  • Take a ferry to Miyajima, an island in Hiroshima Bay and recognized as a World Heritage site. 

During this period, you and your group will stay at a hotel. 

Days 16-18

Homestay and Host Community Visit

  • Spend time with a Japanese family during a home visit.
  • Visit a high school to interact with local students by lunching together and participating in their club activities.  
  • Explore your host community and the surrounding area with your group and learn about traditional Japanese culture. 

During this period, you and your group will stay in homestay and hostel accommodations near the host community. 

Sample host communities: Sagamihara, Yokohama  

Days 19-20

Program Reflection and Wrap-up in Tokyo 

  • Reflect with your group on your experiences during the program. 

During the reflection period, you and your group will stay in a hotel near Narita airport. 

Day 21

Departure

Experienced Group Leaders

The Experiment’s group leaders go through a rigorous selection process and have extensive experience with youth education, local expertise in the country or region of their program, language abilities, knowledge in their program theme, travel logistics and management know-how, and experience with health, safety and risk management.

LEADER HIGHLIGHT

Beverly Yeh

Hometown: Southern California
Education: Harvey Mudd College
Experience in: Japan

View Full Bio

Beverly Yeh grew up in Southern California and strongly identifies and connects with her family living in Taiwan and Singapore. She graduated from Harvey Mudd College with a BS in molecular biology and a concentration in music. Beverly has always had a strong passion for how language and international education bridges cultures and inspires creative solutions. In past years, she was a group leader for Taiwanese high school students attending medical camp, a forensic science teacher/resident advisor for high school students at EXPLO Yale, and a summer camp teaching assistant at the National Taiwan Science Education Centre. She has also led conversational English sessions for Japanese engineering exchange-students from Kogakuin University. After graduation, Beverly served on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET), teaching English in the rural onsen-town of Awara City, Fukui Prefecture and connecting local host families with new JET teachers. Beverly then taught math in Western Massachusetts and continues to teach math in Southern California at her alma mater middle school. Besides teaching and traveling, Beverly enjoys finding autumn leaves, jigsaw puzzles, reading, and yoga.