APG5653 International Journalism Field School: Japan

Program Overview
Program Related Expenses
Grants, Loans and Scholarships
How to Apply

Change and innovation are sweeping through media systems around the globe. In this unit, you will travel to Tokyo — one of the world’s most dynamic media capitals — to examine how media, popular culture and emerging technologies are reshaping public life.

The program begins online, where you will explore the culture, structure and distinctive features of Japanese media: from the press–government system and public broadcasting, to the vibrant anime industries and networked platform and fan cultures of global influence. Prior to departure, an intensive one-day workshop will develop your skills in research design, method, analysis and project management.

You will then travel to Tokyo to experience a series of key media systems first-hand. Through visits to Nagatachō’s press–government zone, major newspaper headquarters and the NHK, you will analyse the relationship between journalism, power and national voice. In districts such as Harajuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro and Akihabara, you will examine youth media, participatory cultures and global creative industries. Immersive and technological sites — including teamLab Borderless and the Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation — will also prompt critical reflection on AI, ethics, media spectacles and the future of human storytelling. How are Japanese media institutions responding to changing consumption patterns, digital platforms and economic pressures? How do journalism’s democratic ideals operate in this fascinating context?

Drawing on scholarly and media literature alongside your immersive field experience, you will develop an individual research project grounded in Tokyo’s media ecology.

Itinerary (Under Development):

On arrival in Tokyo, we will spend the weekend getting accustomed to life in the world's most populous metropolis (with more than 37 million in the greater metro area). Cultural activities will include a 'youth media and urban performance' walking tour of Harajuku and Shibuya, including Takeshita street, Yoyogi park and Shibuya Sky. We will pause to observe the screens of Shibuya Crossing – where platform capitalism, advertising ecologies and ambient media saturation converge upon public space.

Across the week, we will engage in daily visits to a diversity of key media sites, hearing from a range of media professionals along the way:

The Press, Power and the Public Sphere: From the Nagatachō press-government zone to Yurakucho newspaper strip, with a guided tour of the Imperial Palace, exploring the intersections of news media, political power and public discourse in Japan;
Broadcasting, Public Media and National Voice: NHK, with entry to the NHK Museum of Broadcasting as well as the famous Tokyo Skytree, examining how public media institutions construct national narratives, mediate culture and engage audiences;
Anime, Gaming and Participatory Media Cultures: Guided tour of Ikebukuro (Animate, Otome Rd) and Akihabara (high-tech, games and the Otaku capital), exploring how fan communities and interactive media shape contemporary storytelling, identity and participatory culture in Japan;
Technology as Spectacle, Immersion and Play: teamLab Borderless to RED Tokyo Tower, with Fuji Television Headquarters setting the stage for media as a monumental presence;
AI, Ethics and Narrating the Future: Interactive demonstrations of humanoid robots (like ASIMO), with a visit to the Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation to help us consider how emerging technologies are represented, the ethical questions they raise, and how media shapes public understanding of our technological future.

Entry to the whimsical, artistically designed Mitaka Ghibli Museum will help bring the study tour to a close, with a reflective closing seminar on student research projects -- and how the media imagine what it means to be human..

Dates / Deadlines:
Term	Year	App Deadline	Start Date	End Date
Winter (June-July)	2026	22-March-2026	03-July-2026	12-July-2026

Information Sheet
Course Level	Postgraduate
Awarded Credit Points	12
Program Type	GST - Global Study Tour
Program Duration	10 days* *One-day workshop prior to departure (mid-June)
Leading Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Minimum WAM	60%
Eligible Monash Campus	Monash Australia
Minimum Credits Completed (at time of registration)	Equivalent to two units or a semester in the Masters' program.
Funding Available	Monash Abroad Travel Grant
Personal Statement	Yes

Program Costs

Program Cost: AU$2,584 per person (excluding airfare)
Deposit payment: $500 per person due Friday 3 April 2026
Interim Payment: $1042 due Friday 17 April 2026

Final payment: $1042 due Monday 11 May 2026

Program costs includes:

Twin share accommodation*
Breakfast daily
10,000 Yen transportation card on arrival
Entry fees to scheduled activities
Guided tours of select venues
Monash travel insurance policy.

Program costs do not include:

Monash University fees for 12 credit points of study
International flights and transfers
Any applicable visa costs
Local travel outside of program activities
Medical expenses (which may be claimable via the insurance policy)
Meals and drinks not included in the program
Personal expenses

* Optional single supplement (fee to upgrade to a single room) available on request.

**Monash students will be enrolled in APG5653 (12 credit points) and charged standard fees according to their verified funding status. This fee will appear on your Monash Fee Statement.

Travel insurance

Complimentary Monash University travel insurance for the duration of the tour and 15 days either side of the study tour dates

If you are an actively enrolled Monash student and participating in an approved international program, you will be provided with complimentary travel insurance. You will automatically be covered once your application has been approved and your enrolment updated to reflect your study overseas.

Under this policy, travellers will also receive access to 24/7 emergency assistance provided by Global 24 Emergency Assistance and limited coverage for personal travel days.

Visas

Monash Abroad will issue you with supporting documentation to lodge your visa application once you have completed all Monash Abroad requirements and are approved for travel. If you require supporting documentation earlier in the process, please contact Monash Abroad. Please note that Monash Abroad cannot provide advice regarding visa requirements.

Centrelink support documents

For the purposes of maintaining your Centrelink benefits during your overseas program, Monash Abroad will provide you with a letter confirming your participation in a study tour. Please note that this will be issued to you once you have completed all Monash Abroad requirements and are approved for travel.

Important Note:

The Monash Abroad Travel Grant and OS-HELP loan (if applicable) will be paid approximately 4 weeks prior to program commencement and only when all requirements are completed by you. Therefore, these funds should not be considered as your primary source of funding to pay program related deposits and balances.

Monash Abroad Travel Grant

Monash students studying in Australia who are enrolled into a credit-bearing unit for this program will be assessed for eligibility to receive a Monash Abroad travel grant if they are not otherwise receiving any other scholarship that is intended to cover most or all of your travel/tuition costs for your program (e.g., New Colombo Plan Mobility grant).

You do not need to apply separately for this grant as your eligibility for this grant will be assessed as part of your application.

OS-HELP Loan

OS-HELP is a Commonwealth Government loan program that provides financial assistance to eligible Commonwealth Supported Place students, to undertake some of their study overseas.

If you are eligible for the loan and wish to apply, please submit your application as per the relevant OS-HELP loan term deadline, even if you have not been accepted into your overseas program by that deadline.

Student Loans

If you need help with study-related expenses, please refer to the student loans website and talk to a student adviser at Monash Connect.

Travel Scholarships

Please refer to the travel and placements scholarship website for more information.

Dates / Deadlines:
Term	Year	App Deadline	Start Date	End Date
Winter (June-July)	2026	22-March-2026	03-July-2026	12-July-2026

Eligibility

Places are limited and applications will be assessed on a competitive basis. To apply for this program, you must have:

a WAM of 60% or above
completed the equivalent to two units or a semester in the Masters' program
Personal Statement: Applicants must please submit a (maximum) 300-word statement outlining:
- Motivation: Why you wish to join the Tokyo study tour and how it supports your academic or professional goals
- Learning goals: What skills, knowledge or insights you hope to gain
- Contribution: How your background or perspective could enrich the group experience
- Approach: Awareness of cultural, ethical or media-related considerations relevant to the tour.
We look forward to your application!

At all times Monash University embraces and celebrates true diversity. We strongly welcome applications from our students living with disabilities, who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, students with caring and/or parenting responsibilities, who identify as LGBTIQA+, people of colour, and those whose identities intersect with more than one of the above.

How to Apply

Step 1: Submit an application for this program

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Step 2: Selection and enrolment

The Faculty of Arts will review all applicants after the deadline to assess eligibility to participate in this overseas. Please note that this generally takes two weeks after applications have closed.

Step 3: Additional data collection and travel approval

Once you application has been assessed, you will be issued with an outcome email. If you are successful, your outcome email will include a letter of offer that you will need to accept. The outcome email will also include two additional forms for you to complete:
1. Passport and medical details, and
2. Travel Approval Request Form.

Once you have actioned both of those forms, Monash Abroad will assess your Travel Approval Request and you will be notified of the outcome. We may also contact you if we have any questions or concerns that need to be addressed before you are approved for travel. Please note that travel approval takes approximately 1-2 weeks, but may take longer during peak periods and your responses.

Once you are approved for travel you will have access to the travel insurance coverage and be issued with any relevant grants and scholarships.

Important note: you must have a valid passport that does not expire until at least six months after the program end date.

Program contacts

Academic contact: Dr Deb Anderson, Senior Lecturer (School of Media, Film and Journalism)

deb.anderson@monash.edu

Administrative contact: arts.global.programs.and.partnerships@monash.edu

Dates / Deadlines:
Term	Year	App Deadline	Start Date	End Date
Summer A (Nov-Dec)	2024	26-July-2024	29-Nov-2024	7-Dec-2024