Japan: Sapporo

Academic study focuses on the language, history, and contemporary culture of Japan.  This program is part of a student exchange relationship with Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.  Students live with host families for the duration of the program.

Requirements Fulfilled:

General Education - This program fulfills the Global Perspectives general education requirement for students who successfully complete 8 or more semester credits.

Students who complete Japanese 201 or higher fulfill the World Language proficiency general education requirement.

Major/Minor Requirements: This program fulfills the overseas study requirement for the Asian Studies major and the World Languages major with Japanese as the primary language. Select courses can be applied to the Japanese minor.

Credits: Credit earned varies based on courses completed but students may earn up to 19 credits. Overloads are not permitted.

Curriculum:

2 Japanese Language Courses

Additional courses chosen from Hokusei Gakuen University.

“Don’t be afraid to speak Japanese even if [you think] it’s bad. It will get better.”

“The home stay program was the most effective way to get into the local lifestyle and improve on the language.”

“Come with a goal in mind that you want to achieve. Join a club, any club at all but definitely join a club. Look for communities outside of the campus and try to participate in that. If you don’t want to look for one yourself, try Cafe Coen. It’s a coffee shop run by a couple from South Africa and the U.S. for Japanese people to talk in English and internationals to talk in Japanese.”

“The elective classes are not super demanding, but the Intensive Japanese course is very demanding and strict with homework. There is a lot of workload, and they expect you to study a lot every day. However, I think it really helped me improve my language skills very fast.”

“The city is very convenient. The university has a good location. I think it’s a very good city for student life. I felt safe all the time, and transportation, university facilities were very convenient.”

2026-2027 Fee Breakdown*

Total Fee (includes Tuition, Program Fee, and Health & Wellness Fee): $44,791

Tuition: $35,329

Program Fee: $9,425

Health & Wellness Fee: $37**

Included in the program fee are room/housing, board/meals, and administrative fees. Not included are airfare, passport and visa expenses, primary insurance coverage, photographs, books, immunizations, and incidentals. 

*Fees are updated every February for the following academic year.

**The Health & Wellness Fee supports the operations of Wellness Services staff in delivering pre-program orientation services, as well as in providing health-related consultation regarding participant health needs. All students in the College of Arts and Sciences pay a mandatory fee of $37 per semester.

Stipend: Students will receive a stipend to cover the cost of meals and transportation costs not covered by the program fee.

Estimated Airfare (Round Trip PDX to CTS): $1,000 - $2,000

Estimated Travel Document Fees: $50-100

Estimated Health Insurance Fee: $1,906

*This cost is for visa application fees and processing only. Students may need to travel to a consulate to submit their application, which would result in additional travel expenses. There is a consulate in Portland, so most students will not need to travel.

All students participating in overseas programs are automatically enrolled in iNext, a supplemental travel insurance program. The fee for iNext is covered in the program cost. However, students are also required to have comprehensive health insurance during their time abroad. All students participating in overseas programs, both abroad and domestic, are automatically enrolled in the College’s student health insurance program. Similar to a regular semester on-campus, students participating in overseas programs may waive enrollment in the student health insurance program if they have other comprehensive health insurance (e.g., through a parent, guardian or employer) that 1) provides coverage for them in the geographic region in which they will be studying and 2) includes mental health benefits. Find more information regarding health insurance & overseas programs.

Physical Requirements:

Before applying to this program, you should assess and determine if you are physically and/or emotionally able to participate in the following physical demands required by some of this program’s activities:

• Walking or hiking up to 5 miles in a day, sometimes for two or more days in a row, sometimes on hilly, uneven, or cobbled terrain
• Climbing and descending stairs
• Using public transportation, including often crowded buses or trains
• Navigating crowded streets and sidewalks
• Standing for long periods during tours and site visits
• Entering into older buildings with narrow and sometimes steep staircases, at times with limited or no access to elevators
• The possibility of warm/hot temperatures while residing in locations without air conditioning, and/or cold temperatures while residing in locations with a comfort for lower indoor temperatures
• The possibility of long, busy days with little downtime and infrequent days off from program activities

If you have questions or are concerned about these or any other program activities, please contact the Lewis & Clark College Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office (overseas@lclark.edu).

Application Process: This program has a dual application process. Student must first submit a Lewis & Clark Application one year before the start of the program. Once admitted by Lewis & Clark, the students will receive instructions for submitting their secondary application to Hokusei Gakuen University and will receive a separate notification letter of admission.  Please keep a digital copy of your essays and other application materials as you will need to submit these similar materials to Hokusei Gakuen University. Please note that this secondary application process can be as late as the semester preceding your scheduled participation.

Learn more about our application process.

Travel: Students usually fly into New Chitose Airport (CTS), where they are met by onsite program staff and transported to campus for orientation.

Visa: Students will be required to apply for a visa in order to participate. Most consulates require applicants to make a personal appearance to apply for the student visa. The nearest consulate serving the Portland jurisdiction is located in Portland, Oregon. More information will be provided upon admission to the program.

Country-Specific Health Information: View specific health information for people traveling to Japan.

State Department Country Information: Visit the State Department’s Japan page.