The University of Tokyo
Website for International Students
*If you wish to find a partner on Kashiwa Campus, please check here
Want to find a language exchange partner on campus?
(2023/3/24) Regarding application period for Spring 2023 intake
new intake for Spring 2023
Registration for Autumn 2022 semester is now closed.
New intake for Spring 2023 semester will resume on April 3 (Mon). Even if you have participated in the program before, you will need to register again. Details will be announced later on this page.
Students and postdoctoral researchers of the University of Tokyo, regardless of their campuses.
(Family members of international students & researchers, Faculty/staff members and those who do not belong to the University of Tokyo are not eligible.)
Step1: Register online
The online registration form is currently closed due to the application period closing.
Sign in with your ECCS Cloud Mail (@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp) and register through Registration form
※For those who pariicipated before, please sign-up again for this semester.
1. You will receive an automatic reply with your registered information.
2. Your information will be updated on Online Bullet-in Board (Sign in necessary with your ECCS Cloud Mail. When updating, closed temporarily.) within 2 business days.
Step 2:
1. If you find a potential partner on Online Bullet-in Board (Sign in necessary with your ECCS Cloud Mail), please let us know the following information from your ECCS Cloud Mail at issr.adm[at-mark]gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp *Please change [at-mark] to @
※Request from your personal email address and/or other UTokyo email addresses are not accepted.
(1) Your name
(2) Partner's number (1 person per 1 request, 1 request per 1 time. Please do not make multiple requests by sending multiple emails at one time.)
(3) Language(s) to exchange
(4) Partner's hobbies/interests listed in their profile (This is to avoid misidentification of numbers, so it is okay if your hobbies are different from theirs.)
2. We will send you your partner's name and email address within 2 business days after we confirm your request.
Step 3:
Please Send an email to your partner and introduce yourself to start the language exchange!
-Please contact your partner within 48 hours when you receive your partner's contact information from us. Also, please reply within 48 hours to your partner when you receive their requests.
-If you and your partner agree to have in-person interactions, please follow the University's activity guidelines and take appropriate infection control measures while interacting with each other.
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/covid-19/en/policies/index.html#id00
【Reference】Chinese Conversation Club for Chinese speaking students and Japanese students 汉语聊天室
ISSR holds a meetup event for UTokyo international students and Japanese students to interact in Chinese, Japanese, and other languages every week. 「汉语聊天室」是由留学生支援室主办的活动，旨在为给东京大学的留学生和日本学生提供一个交流场所。大家用汉语或日语交流有关校园生活、文化等方面的想法和信息。
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/life-interact-ac-other.html
FAQ
How did the past participants enjoy the language exchanges?
Please check the Overview of the program (ECCS Cloud Mail necessary). You can find the overview of the program and their feedback from the previous semester. I have more than 2 preferred languages to exchange. Can I apply for more than one language?
Yes you can apply for more than one language. However, please make sure to contact them once you received the contact information.
What does "exchange in a common language" mean in the registration form?
The basic concept of a Language Exchange Program is that you teach the language you speak to your partner and learn the language you want to learn from your partner. However, there are cases when there is no match in this meaning, but both participants have a "common language" (i.e., a language spoken above a certain level or a common mother tongue) and would like to communicate with each other about common hobbies and interests.
Examples are as follows.
・I am an international student and can speak Japanese. There is another international student whose hobby is watching movies like me, and he/she seems to speak Japanese as well. Although it is not a language exchange, I would like to talk about movies in Japanese if he/she is willing to do so.
・I am an international student and my native language is Chinese. I found an international student from a different country whose hobby is listening to classical music. I would like to talk about it in English as the student also speaks English.
・I am a Japanese student and I am learning a certain minority language. I found a Japanese student who is also learning the same language. I would like to communicate with him/her in the language we are learning as a common language if he/she is fine with it,
・If anyone has the above intentions, I would like to accept their request.
We will only provide you with your partner's contact information if both you and your partner are interested in communicating in a common language. Please note that even if you "wish to communicate in a common language", we will not be able to provide you with your partner's contact information if your partner does not wish to communicate in a common language (only language exchange is desired).
I would like to exchange languages with an international student who is a native English speaker.
Your language partner may not necessarily be a native speaker of your preferred language. For example, if you select English, your language partner can be French or Chinese who can speak English at a near native level. We would like you to participate in the language exchange program without focusing on the word “native.”
I would like to stop posting my profile on the bulletin board.
Profiles are posted until the end of each semester, but please contact ISSR by e-mail if you would like to stop your positing.
However, you may receive e-mails from those who are interested in the language exchange with you if they had already seen your details information before your profile was removed. In this case, please let them know that you have stopped participating in the language exchange program.
I would like to post my profile on the bulletin board, but can I add or delete some information?
You cannot add to nor delete the original information. For example, you cannot delete your graduate school or department nor can you add comments, such as “Prefer doctorate student only."
Reference Please see the statistics (Japanese only)
on the International Students at the University of Tokyo. Please note that the 90% of international students at the University of Tokyo are graduate students.
■Language Exchange Program Introductory Session -What is the Language Exchange Program?
-What can I learn from the program?
-What languages are the participants exchanging?
-I would like to get to know how the participants enjoy the program.
You can learn everything about the Language Exchange Program at the session.
This meeting is helpful for anyone who is thinking about joining, as well as for those who have already joined and want to know what other pairs are doing to interact with each other. Come and join us!
*Languages：Japanese and English.
【Program Content】
■Date/Time: October 18 (Mon), 2021 12:10-13:00
■Place: Zoom meeting room *Link will be announced in the morning of the event day.
■Eligibility: Students, Post-doc researchers (Faculty/staff members and researchers employed by UTokyo are NOT eligible.)
■To participate: UTokyo Account and ECCS Cloud Mail (@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp) necessary.
※How to obtain a UTokyo email address（for those who have UTokyo Account)
https://utelecon.adm.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/eccs_cloud_email.html
■Language Exchange Program presents "Let's get to know UTokyo student's hometown!" cultural exchange event
Presenters from all over the world (including Japan) will make a presentation on their hometown / country, such as their lifestyle, culture, food, etc., using the photos, realia, etc. at the event.
*Languages：Japanese and English
*You can have a lunch during the session.
-Date/Time: Each day 12:10-12:50
1.Dec 15（Tue）,2021Taiwan (Famous places, cuisine), Benin (Famous street food)
2.Dec 17（Thu）,2021China・Hunan Province (Local culture), China・Yunnan Province (Diverse ethnic groups, culture, lifestyle, climate, etc.)
3.Dec 18（Fri）,2021 Taiwan (Geography, gourmet, culture), UK・Oxford (Lifestyle and study experience) *presentation by the student from US
4.Dec 22（Tue）,2021 Japan・Toyama (Local language and festival-Attractive features of Toyama, the northwestern part of Japan) *China・Henan Province (Cutting-edge technology and traditional culture in ancient city-Luoyang) cancelled.
-Place: Zoom meeting room *Link will be announced later. Zoom account registered with ECCS Cloud Mail necessary to join in the meeting.
-Eligibility: Students, Post-doc researchers (Faculty/staff members and researchers employed by UTokyo are NOT eligible.)
■Language Exchange Program Introductory Session and Student Gathering (Updated: 2020/9/16)
-What is the Language Exchange Program?
-What can I learn from the program?
-What languages are the participants exchanging?
-I would like to get to know how the participants enjoy the program.
-I am not still unsure if I join in the program, but I am simply interested in the gathering.
Putting your questions altogether, you can learn everything about the Language Exchange Program at the session. A small/casual gathering with student/post-doc researchers who are interested in the program will be conducted in the session too.
*Languages：Japanese and English. Staff and Student Staff who actually participated in the program in the Summer semester will support. So, just feel free to join us!
【Program Content】
■Date/Time: October 13 (Tue), 2021 12:10-13:00 *You can have a lunch during the session.
■Place: Zoom meeting room *Link will be announced later.
■Eligibility: Students, Post-doc researchers (Faculty/staff members and researchers employed by UTokyo are NOT eligible.)
■To participate: Zoom account registered with ECCS Cloud Mail necessary.
