Manga in Japan (Faculty-Led Program)

Participate in an intensive manga production workshop at Japan's premiere technical training school for manga.

• Learn technical manga drawing and storytelling skills.
• Visit two cities in Japan and meet with professional manga artists (mangaka), editors, and educators.
• Find inspiration for your own art as you experience the style and visual language of Japanese comics while in Japan.
• Tour the Kyoto Manga Museum in Kyoto, home to a collection of 300,000 items related to manga.
• Start to learn (or practice your existing) Japanese language while by being paired with a Japanese student conversation partner while in Japan (no previous Japanese language is required)

Note: The application deadline for the spring/summer 2025 program has been reached. To inquire about next year's program, contact the faculty director.

Course Term: Spring course at RIT, travel to Japan in early Summer
Travel Dates: June 7-23, 2025
Credits: 3

Application Deadline: October 20, 2024

During your two weeks in Japan, you’ll study at:

Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata is the only school in Japan that teaches manga in English. While at Kansai Gaidai University, you’ll learn about Japanese culture and be paired with a Japanese conversation partner to learn or practice Japanese language skills. Hirakata is between Osaka and Kyoto, two of Japan's cultural and tourist hubs.

Nihon Manga Juku, a professional manga school, and the best place in the world to learn how to draw manga. Nihon Manga Juku has the largest number of graduates who become professional manga artists in Japan. Tokyo is the manga capital and cultural center of Japan. Tokyo is a must-visit for manga and anime enthusiasts, with its bustling Akihabara district, themed cafes, and countless shops dedicated to manga and anime merchandise.

Course Details:

• ILLS 550 - Topics in Illustration: Manga in Japan (3 credits)
  Students will be enrolled in a spring course at RIT and will travel to Japan in early summer. 

Open to undergraduate majors, all year levels. No course pre-requisites, but must have art, illustration, or design skills as demonstrated by a portfolio. No previous Japanese language is required.

Program space is limited. Interview and portfolio review required as part of program application process.

While in Japan, you’ll participate in excursions that may include:

• Kyoto Manga Museum
• Tea Ceremony in Kyoto
• Osaka/Kyoto day tour
• Team Lab Planets Museum - an interactive digital art experience
• Sensoji Temple tour -  Tokyo's oldest-established and most significant temple
• Mt. Fuji day tour
• Hiking trip to Fushimi-Inari Shrine

Housing

• While in Hirakata, students will stay in student housing at Kansai Gaidai University.
• While in Tokyo, students will stay at a hotel.

Eligibility:

• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher (students with lower than a 2.5 GPA would be considered on a case-by-case basis)
• No previous Japanese language skills are required
• Have a clear conduct record with RIT
• Have no financial holds on your RIT eServices account at the time of your program acceptance/confirmation

 

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Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: Student Budget Worksheet - Manga in Japan - outlines all program costs

Financial Aid:
Financial aid may cover some program costs. As you review the budget worksheet, please remember that it does not include your RIT financial aid or scholarships which may cover some of the program costs. The purpose of the budget worksheet is to show all the costs associated with your study abroad program which will help your RIT Financial Aid Assistant Director determine how your aid and scholarships may be applied. 

To understand how your financial aid and scholarships may apply to your program costs:

• Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment
• Upload a copy of your budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting, so they have time to prepare) 
  • Please rename the file name of your budget worksheet before uploading it to the Financial Aid portal based on the instructions provided in the portal (adding your name and student ID)

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact#counseling-team

We recommend you meet with Financial Aid before the application deadline so you understand how your aid will apply. The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125.

Scholarships:

• RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
  All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships awarded based on financial need.

• Other scholarships: RIT Study Abroad Scholarships, National Study Abroad Scholarships

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To Apply

1) Start an application in the RIT Study Abroad Compass

2) Watch this video on application steps for RIT faculty-led programs which covers important information (video is captioned)