Students From Diverse Cluster of Programs Learn In Japan

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April 30, 2026

Earlier this spring, a group of 15 students from Eastern's urban and regional planning, design and Japanese studies programs participated in a first of its kind, short-term study abroad program in Japan.

Led by Erina Romanowich, senior lecturer in Japanese studies, and Matt Anderson, a professor of urban and regional planning, the students spent ten days using skills acquired in their winter-term coursework to experience the language and culture of Tokyo and Kyoto more fully.

Students sampled interesting cuisine.

Design students were able to examine how aesthetics, functionality and cultural values shaped everyday spaces in Japan.

Japanese language students were able to strengthen their language skills and cultural understanding by practicing Japanese in their daily interactions. Both groups deepened their understanding of linguistic nuance and cultural norms during the trip.

"Students were able to see the contrast between traditional Japanese culture and modern Japanese culture," Romanowich says. Being able to see Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, and compare it with today's capital city of Tokyo, provided the traveling Eagles a balanced mix of history, perspective and progress, she adds.

Yoko Parks, a senior who recently completed her minor in Japanese, says she was awe-struck by her newfound-and hard-earned-ability to ask questions in a language her audience could understand.

The group explored vibrant communities.

"My grandma told me that if you speak a language someone knows, you speak to their head," Parks says. "If you speak their native language, you speak to their heart."

Parks, who has become fluent in Japanese, was able to put her conversation skills to the test on a daily basis.

"Erina-sensei is second to none in Japanese linguistics," she says of Romanowich. "I think her dedication to teach her home language to foreigners is admirable and something to emulate." Parks hopes to one day move to Japan and work for its booming tech sector.

Student travelers and their instructors dined together, sampling classic Japanese dishes and learning about culture.

For urban and regional planning students, Japan offered insight into a radically different planning paradigm that showcased dense urban environments, extensive public transportation systems, a strong relationship between planning, sustainability and everyday life, along with valuable lessons that could be implemented back home in the U.S.

"A lot of students said they wanted to come back to Japan on their own," Romanowich says, "which as a native Japanese citizen, is a really cool thing to hear." Romanowich, who usually returns to visit Japan once a year, said she'd been scouting out locations that would benefit the students' wide range of interests and areas of study.

For many of the students on the trip, it was their first experience with traveling outside of the country, making the journey both academically and personally transformative. The program culminated in student presentations that connected observations from the trip with concepts learned in class, highlighting the value of experiential learning.

For more information about the next trip to Japan in 2028, or how to get involved with Japanese studies, urban and regional planning or design, please contact EWU's Study Abroad Office at [email protected].

The group explored communities with diverse architecture .

**Story written by Rachel Weinberg.

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