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Lehman Students Explore Japan Through Unique Study Abroad Program
Students in Kyoto wearing traditional Japanese dress
July 28, 2025
On a summer trip that took them literally half a world away, ten Lehman students completed a unique study abroad experience that blended Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) at home with two weeks of hands-on research in Japan.
During the first three weeks of the hybrid program, run in partnership with Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), students collaborated online in groups with their Japanese OMU peers to develop research projects related to Japanese culture and history. One group chose to investigate how the growing global demand for matcha is impacting its production in Japan; another group wanted to explore the role of rice products like sake and rice cakes in traditional religious ritual.
“When we actually go to Japan, each group goes on self-planned research trips to learn more about their topic,” said Asako Tochika, the Japanese language professor at Lehman who conceived of and first led the course in the summer of 2024.
The course included excursions to cities and regions with rich cultural significance, including Kyoto and Nara, but “the highlight of the trip for most Lehman students was working on their own projects with their OMU partners,” Tochika said.