51福利社

This study abroad program is designed to provide a broad introduction to Japanese culture that is relevant to the field of Communication and Art History.  The students will learn the concepts and principles of Intercultural Communication and study the Art of Japan, which will be enriched through their interactions with peers and locals, visits to architectural/cultural sites, museums, and cultural activities. Through their study abroad experience, the students will gain valuable knowledge and skills to become global citizens.

Arrive in Japan Saturday, June 6, 2026 - leave Japan Sunday, July 5, 2026

Professor Mika Garard is thrilled to be co-directing her 5th Tokyo study abroad program at SBCC.  She has been teaching Communication courses at SBCC for over 20 years, including COMM151 Intercultural Communication.  Professor Garard was born and raised in Japan, and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.  Before she started teaching at SBCC, she worked as a Japanese-English translator at a Japanese-French joint-venture company in the Midwest.  She travels to Japan frequently to visit her family and friends. Your can reach Professor Garard at garardm@sbcc.edu or in her office at BC_102E (please contact Professor Garard for office hours)

 

 

 

Dr. Joy Kunz is a professor of Art History at SBCC and is passionate about sharing her appreciation for art with students!  Joy teaches a wide range of Art History courses and has led five study abroad programs for SBCC.  Joy Kunz earned her Master鈥檚 Degree in Art History from Saint Louis University and PhD in Art History from UCSB.   She has taught Art History full time at SBCC since 2009. Professor Kunz directs SBCC study abroad programs because she believes it is one most memorable learning experiences a student can have during their college education. When she is stateside, Joy likes reading a good book, going to the beach, bike riding, and enjoying beautiful Santa Barbara with her family and friends. Join Joy in discovering the art and architecture of Japan! You will have an extraordinary art adventure! Visit elaborate temples, Shinto shrines, and Zen gardens, see authentic screen paintings, Ukiyo-e wood block prints, anime and much more! You can contact Dr. Kunz at jekunz@sbcc.edu  

To acquaint program participants with the cultural aspects of life in Japan, a series of mandatory as well as optional free or inexpensive activities is planned, which varies but often includes lectures on local customs and contemporary issues, sports events, walking tours, sight visits, and dinners. The below excursions are the mandatory excursions included in the program (subject to change):

• Live in Tokyo 
• Take a guided city tour in Tokyo
• Participate in a traditional tea ceremony
• Experience TeamLab Borderless
• Go to a baseball game
• Visit the Tokyo National Museum
• Guided visit to UNESCO World Heritage Site Nikko
• Additional cultural experiences
• Plenty of time to explore on your own or with the group

You do not have to be currently enrolled at SBCC to apply for the program. However, you must meet the following requirements:

• Must be in good academic standing and in good standing with Student Conduct and Title IX
• Must be at least 18 years old on the day of departure
• Must have successfully completed at least 6 college level units
• Must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 or higher
• Must submit the deposit upon acceptance notification to confirm the spot on the program

After acceptance to the program:
- Sign the Program Participation Agreement and submit the deposit within 10 days after acceptance notification
- Enroll at SBCC for the summer 2026 term (spring 2026)
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) of the U.S. Department of State   prior to departure.
- Follow the steps provided in the registration letter to register for courses on this program once registation opens for you. Course CRN numbers can not be accessed via the SBCC course catalog.
- Complete, sign and return all legal documents to SBCC Study Abroad. Not submitting the required legal documents on time may withdraw you from the program.
- SBCC requires basic medical insurance, which covers illness and accidents abroad as well as the cost of returning students to the US if needed.

• There is no major or language requirement for this program

Acceptance and participation in the program is not guaranteed until you receive officiall notification from the SBCC Study Abroad office and you make your deposit payment.

The courses that are offered as part of the program are usually transferable to the University of California and California State University. Check with your academic advisor for possible exceptions.  You must enroll in a minimum of 6 units throughout the whole program. 

Classes offered on this program are:

 $3,650

* Includes $450 Deposit
** does not include group flight
***Stripe/ACH/ Direct Deposit incur an additional 1% processing fee ($3.65) , credit card payments will incur an additional 4% processing fee ($146).

Includes: 

• Accommodations (see "Housing")
• Required field trips and excursions, tickets and entrance fees and reservations (see "Highlights")
• On-Site orientation in Tokyo
• Daily Breakfast and Welcome dinner
• Gratuity & tips for guides & drivers arranged as part of the program
• 24/7 emergency service
• Pre-departure support and meeting at SBCC
• SUICA card (preloaded with JPY 12,000 to be used for travel to mandatory excursions)
• Local staff support
• Tips for guides and drivers
• Emergency response
• Airport transfer in Tokyo WITH group flight
• Private Coach transport to Nikko

Does Not Include:

• Round-trip airfare or optional group flight
• Transportation to and from LAX
• Transportation from and to the airpot in Tokyo (included if on the group flight)
• Passport fee or visa fees if applicable
• Mandatory international medical travel insurance (SBCC requires basic medical insurance, which covers illness and accidents abroad as well as the cost of returning students to the US if needed.)
• Optional liability insurance. (Students who carry costly laptops, cameras, cell phones and other valuables are strongly encouraged to purchase private insurance, which will cover them for any losses due to theft, damage, or other causes)
• SBCC registration fees (non-residents are required to pay out-of-state or out-of-country fees)
• Textbooks, food, personal expenses, and any other expenses not specifically listed as included
• Optional Single room supplement (see more under "Housing")
• Meals other than listed above
• Additional field trips and excursions to those listed
• Optional CFAR/IFAR Trip Cancelation insurance
• Personal or other misc. expenses
• Anything not specified

Visit our Financial Aid & Scholarship page for financial resources. Click .

$450 Initial deposit due immediately after acceptance notification nd receipt of invoice from APA but no later than March 19, 2026

(all payments to be made directly to APA. Payment method has to be chosen prior to invoicing)

$3,400 or as stated in APA invoice due by April 30, 2026

OPTIONAL: 
Group Flight payment due March 1, 2026

Please note that any student who is academically withdrawn by SBCC after your application has been processed by APA is subject to the standard refund policy.

Airfare is not included in the program price. You may make your own travel arrangements if you do not wish to travel with the group. Transportation to and from any of the airports are not included in the program cost and you will need to make your own arrangements if you don't fly with the group. Transportation to and from LAX are not included.

GROUP FLIGHT: SBCC has contracted with Frosch Student Travel to provide and optional group flight. 

Cost: $1,749 including all taxes and fees (subject to change)

• Frosch Student Travel will reserve spaces on an optional round-trip group flight from LAX to Tokyo and Tokyo to LAX on a regularly scheduled airline according to the information provided by the student. The group flight must have a minimum of 10 participants and will be cancelled if the minimum is not reached. Space on the group flight cannot be guaranteed after March 1, 2026
• Students purchasing the group flight will be picked up at the airport in Tokyo and and dropped off at the airport in Tokyo. Frosch Student Travel may not be able to arrange group flight tickets for students applying for the group flight after March 1, 2026. 
• Group transfer is cancelled if the group flight is cancelled and students will be responsible for their own transfer arrangements to and from the student housing
• Participants missing the designated group arrival transfer are responsible for checking in at the designated arrival point and time on the scheduled date
• Detailed arrival information will be provided by Frosch Student Travel to all participants prior to arrival

 Transportation on site:

• Transportation and entries on all course-related visits and excursions are included. Students will receive a SUICA card preloaded with JPY 12,000 to be used for mandatory excursions. If SUICA card is used for anything else, student will need to add money to the card to use for mandatory excursions. Transportation cards have to be returned to APA for recycling at the end of the program.

Program Housing: students will be housed in shared rooms at a local youth hostel
- Exact housing placements will be given to participants upon arrival.
- Pets are not allowed in program housing.
- Please note that it is a common practice and expectation in Japan in hostels with dormitories that rooms or floors are separated by gender. You will be housed according to your gender assigned at birth as required by the housing provider. You will need to disclose this information with the study abroad staff.

Single Room Supplement: US $ 2,950 (based on availability)

Application Deadline: March 8, 2026

Start your application process well in advance of the application deadline. You will need to submit several required documents with your online application. Some of the documents need to be completed by school officials and other persons, which may take several days or weeks. You must have your completed required documents before you start your online application.

Required documents needed for your online application are:

1. A current photo. This should be a close-up headshot that clearly identifies you. Please do not wear sunglasses or hats. Do not submit any forms of ID.

2. Unofficial Transcript. SBCC students can follow for instructions on how to get their unofficial transcript. If you apply from another institution, he transcript must show the name of your institution, your full name, all the courses you have taken so far with the grades and GPA. Screenshots from your phone can not be accepted.

3. A completed Student Conduct Release Form. This form must be completed by the school official at your current or most recent institution who is responsible for Student Conduct. If that is SBCC for you, the form can be sent to Sandra Flores at flores@sbcc.edu. Be sure you complete the top part of the form and clearly identify the program you are applying for (Tokyo Summer 2026). Failure to clearly identify the program may result in a delay in processing your application and forms. 

>>

for instructions for how to complete fillable PDF documents.

Please make sure you read the instructions on how to apply before starting your application. All information on the application will be lost when you close the application without submitting it.   Complete your required documents prior to starting the application. 

What happens after I submit my application:

After submission of your application it will be reviewed and forwarded to the program directors Mika Garard and Joy Kunz, who will reach out to you for an interview.  Interviews may be held in person or via Zoom if not local.
 
You will receive the acceptance decision in writing via email from the Study Abroad office once we have confirmed that you meet the requirements and have completed the interview. Verbal acceptance by the program director during the interview does not confirm participation in the program. Your spot on the program is not confirmed until you return the Student Participation Agreement and pay the non-refundable deposit. 

Once you have officially been accepted to the program, the application will be forwarded to service provider APA (Asia-Pacific Academic) who will invoice you for the deposit. We advise you to make sure you have the amount of the deposit set aside at the time you apply to the program. Stripe/ACH incur an additional 1% processing fee, credit card payments will incur an additional 4% processing fee.

Please review the cancelation policy below.
 
All payments must be made directly to APA. Failure to make any payment when due will automatically cancel you from the program one week after the payment due date. All payments are effective the day they are received by APA. 

For questions about the application or the application process please contact the Study Abroad office at 805-730-4294 or nwalther@pipeline.sbcc.edu. 

Any individual cancellation must be made in writing to Nicole Walther at nwalther@pipeline.sbcc.edu. Cancelations are effective the date of the receipt by APA. 

Upon cancellation, the following charges per participant will be:

No charge: Cancel up to 90 days prior to the departure date
25% of the program cost: Cancel 89-60 days prior to the departure date
50%  of the program cost: Cancel 59-30 days prior to the departure date
75% of the program cost: Cancel 29-15 days prior to the departure date
100% of the program cost: Cancel 14 days or less prior to the departure date.

Please note that any student who is academically withdrawn by SBCC after their application has been processed by APA is subject to the standard refund policy.

Apply early because the number of places is limited and the program is likely to fill before the application deadline. 

You are required to submit a non-refundable deposit of $450 as soon as you have officially been accepted into the program in order to hold your spot. This deposit is part of the program fee. Should the program not meet its 20 student minimum participation, and the program does not move forward, this fee will be returned to you.

PROGRAM ORIENTATION

A mandatory pre-departure orientation meeting will be conducted at SBCC on May 8, 2026 introducing the academic course work, addressing general aspects of study abroad and cross-cultural learning, and providing practical information regarding preparation and travel. Details will be provided to the program participants once they are available. 

A detailed itinerary of the program will be provided via e-mail by APA.

An on-site orientation in Tokyo after arrival covers practical matters as well as aspects of cross-cultural living and learning, giving program participants the tools they need to make the most of their time in Japan. Practical walking tours of the areas in Tokyo will be conducted as part of the orientation.

Useful Websites:

 

Points of Interest in Tokyo:

Points of Interest outside of Tokyo:

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PLEASE  NOTE:  The climbing season starts in the 1st week of July.  Climbing Mt. Fuji is NOT casual hiking.  It is intense if you want to climb to the summit to see the sunrise. If you are looking for something less intense and do not want to climb to the summit, there are local buses and tour buses that will take you to the 5th station of the mountain, and you can hike around there.

Study Abroad Office

Nicole Walther 
International EducationCenter, Room 1
(805) 730-4294
nwalther@pipeline.sbcc.edu

APA Asia Pacific Academic
30 N Gould St Ste R,
Sheridan, WY 82801 USA

Financial Aid can be used towards the program and the SBCC or CA Promise can cover tuition, books and fees. You may also be eligible to apply for several Study Abroad Scholarships, such as the SBCC scholarships, Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, Fund for Education Abroad Scholarships and more. Be sure to start your research early to not miss the application deadlines. Some deadlines may be up to one year prior to the program start. Visit our Financial Resources page HERE.

Information meetings are scheduled on the SBCC campus or virtually via Zoom. No rsvp is required for in-person meetings. Some Zoom sessions may require prior registration to receive the direct Zoom link. Please contact the program director Mika Garard at for Zoom related inquiries or problems.  Parents are welcome. 

WHEN: Thursday, 9/11, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
WHAT: In person info session
WHERE: Luria Library L-137

WHEN: Monday, 9/22, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
WHAT: Zoom Meeting
WHERE: Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

WHEN: Tuesday, 10/7, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
WHAT: In person info session
WHAT: In person, Luria Library L-137

Wednesday, 11/12, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. (On Zoom)
Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.