Japanese Homepage

ようこそ

Youkoso | Welcome!

A Canal with adjacent housing in Omihachiman, Japan

Apply for Scholarships Exclusive to Those Studying Japanese or Planning to Study Abroad in Japan!

The Bridging Scholarship provides scholarships for American undergraduates to study in Japan for a semester or academic year!

The GVSU Crawley Japanese Studies Scholarship was designed to recognize and reward students interested in advanced studies in Japanese language and culture while participating in a semester or year-long study abroad program. Awards will be used in support to travel to, and study in Japan.

Get Involved in the Community!

Grand Rapids Sister Cities Project: Omihachiman, Japan

Grand Rapids Sister Cities International (GRSCI) is a non-profit organization that works to build relationships between Grand Rapids and its sister cities. We do this by promoting understanding and mutual respect through:

Exchanges in culture, art, education
Community development
Economic development

Omihachiman is a city in Shiga Prefecture, located on the east side of the largest freshwater lake in Japan, Lake Biwa. Omihachiman is famous for being the birthplace of Omi merchants (Hachiman merchants), which were businessmen who were active throughout Japan, especially during the Edo period (1603-1867) in Tokyo and Hokkaido.

Did You Know? The Japanese language is not related to any other language family in the world!

Interested in Studying Japanese?

Click the program to review a PDF checklist and description of its requirements

井の中の蛙大海を知らず

The frog in the well knows nothing of the great sea

- Japanese Proverb

The image shown is of a Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan, a faculty-led study abroad program.

Learn More Here!

Japanese Club

ABOUT US

The Japanese Culture Association explores different parts of Japanese culture which includes food nights featuring sushi, ramen, and other traditional Japanese food; watching Japanese movies, commercials, and other sources of entertainment; listening to Japanese music. The club also has opportunities to go on trips such as Fredrick Meijer Gardens to see an authentic Japanese tea house and tea ceremony. We encourage ANYONE who is interested in learning about Japanese culture to feel free to attend our meetings and events.