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Bridge to Japan: Study abroad program with Hosei University Tokyo extended for six years

2025-11-10

Anyone walking through building 5 these days will hear Japanese voices: students from Tokyo chatting with their tandem partners, exchanging vocabulary and impressions. Since the 2019/20 winter semester, a group of students from Hosei University Tokyo has been traveling regularly to Lüneburg. Now it's official: the successful study abroad program that makes these encounters possible will be extended for another six years.

A specially tailored German program has been developed in collaboration with Hosei University. It begins with an intensive course before the start of the semester and offers regular courses throughout the semester, as well as a regional studies course and phonetics training. This enables students to get to know and understand the country and its people—both in seminars and in everyday life in Lüneburg.

Cultural exchange in Complementary Studies

During their semester abroad, Japanese students also take part in Leuphana's Complementary Studies Program and exchange ideas with their fellow students on topics that connect both cultures – from socio-political issues to environmental and future topics.

The personal exchange not only creates academic connections, but also friendships that last beyond the stay.

A program that connects

Prof. Dr. Markus Reihlen, Vice President of Internationalization says

The exchange with students from Tokyo is a great enrichment for our campus. It sparks curiosity and encourages others to take the step of spending time abroad and to rediscover themselves in a foreign environment.

The extension of the study abroad program will deepen the connection between Lüneburg and Tokyo in the coming years and open up new paths for exchange with Japan.