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Concordia Language Villages

Japanese Residential Language Village

森の池へようこそ!

Welcome to Mori no Ike! Join our community to explore the exciting world of Japanese language and culture. We are excited to offer lots of different ways to join — one-, two- and four-week residential programs as well as our popular Virtual Village! Come expand your cultural awareness through a fun, interactive adventure centered around the culture and lifestyle of Japan.

Want to explore the Japanese language and culture? Click here for some FREE videos created by our Mori no Ike sensei (staff)!

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Japanese Residential Language Village

Activities

<p>Karate club in the <i>Mori no Ike Dojo</i> (training hall).</p>

Karate club in the Mori no Ike Dojo (training hall).

Activities

Villagers at Mori no Ike do not lack for things to do, and particularly new things to try from Japan’s abundance of both traditional and contemporary arts and activities. Those interested in the martial arts can try their hands – and feet – at aikido, judo, karate and kendo, or master the fundamentals of traditional Japanese arts such as origami (paper folding), ikebana (flower arranging), sumi-e (ink painting), sado (tea ceremony), shodo (calligraphy), and taiko (drumming). Japanese popular culture activities include fashion, dance, anime or J-pop. And of course, befitting Mori no Ike’s Minnesota North Woods setting, there is also canoeing, swimming and nature walks. Learn more about Japanese activities at Mori no Ike.

Authentic Cuisine

<p>Finishing up lunch of sushi and edamame, food that is artfully prepared and presented at every meal.</p>

Finishing up lunch of sushi and edamame, food that is artfully prepared and presented at every meal.

Authentic Cuisine

The kitchen staff at Mori no Ike excels at creating menus combining familiar American flavors with adventurous and nutritious Japanese fare. Among the many traditional dishes that you will soon be at home with are udon and soba (noodles), gohan (rice), miso soup, tenpura, shake (salmon), and karaage or nikujaga (dishes with chicken or beef).

P.S. Don’t worry about the hashi (chopsticks): you’ll get the hang of them in no time. Learn more about Japanese food at Mori no Ike.

Music and Dance

<p>Villagers practice <i>Taiko </i>drumming under the trees.</p>

Villagers practice Taiko drumming under the trees.

Music and Dance

In addition to beingan integral part of Japanese life, music and dance are great ways to learn the Japanese language. At Mori no Ike, you will learn Japanese songs, try your hand at taiko (drumming), and participate in rajio taiso (morning exercises). Learning songs and dances—both traditional and modern—is a lot of fun! Songs are also a great way to learn and retain vocabulary and sentence patterns and get a sense of the culture, too. Learn more about Japanese music and dance at Mori no Ike.

Scholarships

Scholarships

Need-based scholarships are available for Japanese summer youth immersion sessions through the Passport Fund. Scholarships are based on a family’s adjusted gross income, number of dependents, and the length of the session.

The Japanese Language Village is grateful for the support of individual donors, organizations, and companies, especially our premier sponsors, United States-Japan Foundation and OMRON.

Additionally, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education offers a $1,000 stipend for Minnesota students who qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. Additional information is available here.

Learn Japanese

Learn Japanese

Villagers at Mori no Ike live the language and culture of the 127 million people of contemporary Japan in a small, Japanese-inspired lakeside community. The course of each day is spent pursuing a series of community and cultural activities—both traditional and modern—including music, fashion, martial arts, traditional arts and anime. When it comes time to say sayonara, villagers will be surprised with how much Japanese they have acquired, all while enjoying their time learning it in the great North Woods. Learn more.

Programs

Sleepaway Camps

Family Weeks & Weekends

Unplug from the bustle of your regular life and spend quality vacation time relaxing and laughing in another language with your family. ​

Japanese Family Fun Weekends

Meet Our Staff

The dean is the on-site director of the Language Village. Our staff also includes enthusiastic native speakers, language experts, and those who have learned Japanese as a second language — just like you! All of our staff are here to help you have fun while learning.


During your time here, experienced, native speakers will guide you as you expand and intensify your knowledge of the language!