Each summer, the School of Architecture leads a group to Japan. Our summer study abroad programs provide our students the opportunity to infuse their education with valuable intercultural experience while earning typically three to six credit hours toward their degrees.
Japan Summer Program
Learn more about the David R. Ravin School of Architecture’s annual summer study abroad program in Japan.
Tokyo Studio 2026
May 16-June 14, 2026 / 6.0 credits Led by Professor Chris Jarrett – School of Architecture
Set within the world’s largest urban economy, Tokyo Studio engages one of the most livable, high-density cities in the world. It will also open up a series of urban and architectural questions concerning the nature of public and private life in a city of 37 million. Designed for students enrolled in the School of Architecture, Tokyo Studio exposes students to contemporary Japanese urbanism and architecture, including the works of Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, Toyo Ito, SANAA, Shigeru Ban, Junya Ishigami, Sou Fujimoto, Fumihiko Maki, Kenzo Tange, Kisho Kurokawa and Akihisa Hirata, among others.
Tokyo is a global stage for architectural innovation, and students will also see works by Rem Koolhaas, Renzo Piano, David Chipperfield, FOA and others. Destinations are easy to reach using Tokyo’s well-known public transportation system. Tokyo Studio will also participate in a joint international workshop with students and faculty at Meiji University. Students also take a five-day trip south on the bullet train (shinkansen) to visit Hiroshima, Takamatsu and the extraordinary art islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Along the way, Japan’s rich history, culture and traditions will be revealed. Coursework includes site visits, field research, analytical drawings and design speculations with a concluding exhibition of student work in the SoA. Participants will work collectively and independently through two primary modes: “measures” (analytical mapping of Tokyo’s complex urban structures) and “design” (projections in the form of speculative design proposals) that introduce new urban amenities and programmatic hybridities.
TOKYO STUDIO 2026 offers:
Two architecture electives
ARCH 4050 x 2 – 6 Credit Hours (undergraduate)
ARCH 5050 x 2 – 6 Credit Hours (graduate)
OR one architecture studio
ARCH 6103 or 7101 – 6 Credit Hours (graduate)
