Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS)

The City

Kyoto, Japan’s imperial capital from 794 to 1868, is a city rich in traditional culture and history. Surrounded on three sides by densely forested mountains and intersected by a number of rivers, Kyoto is one of Japan's most beautiful cities and is home to Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, ancient palaces, and arts and crafts centers. Traditionally a city of textiles, light industry, and refined craftsmanship, Kyoto today boasts some of Japan’s most advanced high-tech firms and many Japanese universities, and it has the nation’s highest number of students per capita.

View of Kyoto at night -- Billy Martyn, Academic Year 2006-2007

Nara, Osaka, and Kobe are nearby,and Tokyo is about two and a half hours away by train. Kyoto is a city of manageable size, filled with interesting neighborhoods that are ideal for exploration on foot or by bicycle.

The Consortium

Established in September 1989, the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) is a consortium of 14 American universities that sponsors a rigorous, two-semester academic program for undergraduates who wish to do advanced work in Japanese language and cultural studies.

Consortium Members

Boston University

Brown University

University of Chicago

Columbia University and Barnard College

Cornell University

Emory University

Harvard University

University of Pennsylvania

Princeton University

Stanford University

Washington University in St. Louis

Yale University

In association with: University of Michigan and University of Virginia

The KCJS is dedicated to:

Providing access to premier instructors and professors
Ensuring small class sizes to cultivate intellectual exchange
Integrating the historical and cultural resources of Kyoto into the curriculum through excursions, field trips, and guest lectures
Enabling academic and cultural exchange between KCJS and Japanese students through shared classes and student activities

The KCJS welcomes applications from students outside the consortium.

Columbia Programs