SAU Japan Semester

Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester

Open to all majors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher by application

      Fulfill COR 375 and learn basic Japanese language (not for credit). Gain 50 field participation hours (toward the 120 required of EDU students). Help teach English in a Christian Japanese preschool and kindergarten. Enjoy excursions in the Tokyo area. Visit Nara and beautiful Kyoto, the ancient capitals of Japan. Experience the Japanese tea ceremony and much more! See Diane Kurtz in the CCS office for more information and for an application to the program.

      The grace I encountered and the love I experienced in japan are unquantifiable. Try as I may, no words (English or Japanese or otherwise) sufficiently express just how beautiful and marvelous and lovely and beloved Japan and her people are. And never have I seen the Spirit working so powerfully and wonderfully as I did serving at Shion World Kindergarten. With a belly full of sushi and miso, hands filled with origami crafts, an armful of memories of children giving hugs, and a heart overwhelmed with love, I left Japan completely different than when I arrived. Even now, as I reflect on the splendor of Japan, my eyes fill with tears. They are tears of sadness, surely, just as they are tears of gratitude and joy. But they are also tears of excitement, for I know that I will one day return to the land that has so beautifully transformed me.

      Joey Dearduff

      The Japan summer has been the best experience of my life so far! Being an international business major, the opportunity to spend a significant length of time in another country interacting with the culture on a first-hand basis helped me better understand the differences in business practices from culture to culture. The people I met – the Nishimura family, the children at the kindergarten, the church members and sometimes perfect strangers – have left a significant impact on my heart and changed the way I view the world. I had a phenomenal experience and I would not change it for the world!

      Jenna Long

      SAU Japan is an experience that I will never forget. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet many wonderful people, visit places I never would have before, and was given chances to grow as a person and as a teacher. The experience taught me that love truly knows no language. I recommend this program for anyone with a heart for people and a passion for children.

      Shannon Sramek
      Spring Arbor students with hosts in traditional Japanese dress on sunny rural bridge

      Travel Information

      Health & Safety

      This experience, like all CCS experiences, is subject to political and safety realities at the time of departure. CCS options can be physically and emotionally intense and stretching. Before enrolling, all participants should consult the disclosures on Physical Hardships of CCS.

      Covid shots are required for entry by Japan as of December 2022. For more details on required immunizations consult the immunizations chart.

      Trip Costs

      Your financial aid package applies to this program. Also, any university discount for which a student is eligible can be applied to the cost of the airfare and direct program costs.

      NOTE: Students who are Pell Grant recipients and U.S. citizens may apply for the Gilman Scholarship (up to $5,000). Students who are U.S. citizens, receive need-based financial aid, and are planning a semester in Asia may also apply for up to $3,000 Freeman-ASIA scholarship. Attend a Gilman workshop with the CCS Director to learn how to apply for the scholarship.

      To learn your next steps toward participating in this program, attend an SAU Semester Abroad workshop to get an application for important details in your planning.

      CCS summer program costs do not include summer school tuition charges. Participants who are full-time students at SAU both fall and spring semesters 2022-2023 are encouraged to consider NOT taking a class for interim (January 2023), as the available January credits may then by applied to the summer school tuition charges of a summer 2023 CCS. Tuition and program costs are separate monies.

      CCS program costs do not include: tuition, passport, immunizations, or the $150 study away fee. The study away fee provides the basic medical evacuation insurance, travel photos and support services.

      Passport and immunizations required (both at additional cost).

      CCS trips are not guaranteed and are subject to change.