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Mori no Ike
森の池

Japanese Language Village
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THE

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About the Village

At Mori no Ike 森の池, our Japanese Language Village, you can experience both traditional and modern Japanese culture—even trend-setting Japanese lifestyles—all while learning and practicing your new language skills. You’ll experience an array of authentic cultural activities at Mori no Ike, from traditional music and crafts like taiko (drumming) and shodo (calligraphy) to martial arts and sado (tea ceremony). You’ll dine on traditional foods like udon and soba (noodles), tempura (battered meat, fish and vegetables) and gohan (rice). At Mori no Ike, you’ll be immersed in the culture of Japan while studying the unique language of Japan’s 130 million people.

Our Japanese Location
Mori no Ike
Calligraphy
Mori no Ike
Culturally Appropriate Cuisine
Mori no Ike
Pottery Making
Mori no Ike
Origami (Paper Folding)
Mori no Ike
Friendships Form in the Great Outdoors
Mori no Ike
Custom Birchwood Nametags
Mori no Ike
Traditional Desserts
Mori no Ike
Mealtime Community Building
Mori no Ike
Kakigori (Snow Cones)
Mori no Ike
Maneki-neko (Lucky Cat)
Mori no Ike
Outdoor Language Learning
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Experience

Mori no Ike | 森の池

A Lifetime of Learning

From our flagship summer youth camps to family programs and adults-only sessions, Concordia Language Villages provides a lifetime of language learning and cultural adventure. Find the program that’s right for you!

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Youth Overnight

Season: Summer

Duration: 1 Week | 2 Weeks | 4 Weeks

Our flagship Language Village camps where language comes to life. A fully immersive cultural experience.

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High School Credit

Season: Year-round

Duration: 4 Weeks | 24 Weeks

Earn a year’s worth of language credit in just four weeks (24 weeks for Virtual fall/spring option). Accredited by Cognia.

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Adventure Day Camp

Season: Summer

Duration: 1 Week

Daytime programming for young villagers ready to explore the Village experience without overnight stays.

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Youth Virtual

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Keep your Language Village experience going all year long with our Virtual Clubs, Classes and High School Credit programs.

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Family Weeks & Weekends

Season: Year-round

Duration: 2 Days | 3 Days | 1 Week

Fun and learning for the whole family (and friends)! Enjoy culturally immersive activities, meals and tailored learning.

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Adult Virtual

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Choose from a variety of programming options including Conversation Hours, Classes and more, for ages 18+.

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Government & Corporate

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Training for military, healthcare and corporate clients, with customizable programming designed to bridge cultures and break language barriers.

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Upcoming Japanese Camps & Programs

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Japanese Virtual High School Credit
Youth Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Sep 17
-
Apr 10
2025
Location:
Virtual
Ages 13 - 18
Cost: $
4245
Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 to 8:00 PM Central Time. Minimum registration fee $425
Registration closes
Sep 14, 2024
Male openings:
23
|
Female openings:
25
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
April 21, 2024
Japanese Adult Virtual Class--Beginner
Adult Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Oct 28
-
Dec 4
2024
Location:
Virtual
Ages 18 - 99
Cost: $
470
Meets Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30-7:30pm Central, October 28-December 4 2024. This class for beginning language learners, taught by experienced Concordia Language Villages Japanese teachers, offers real-time, interactive small group learning using our language immersion teaching methodology. Build your confidence in understanding and speaking Japanese, learning real-life language you can use to communicate with real people. Classes include activities you complete on your own time to extend your learning. Covers the grammar of roughly the first 5 chapters of Genki I Integrated Elementary Japanese.
Registration closes
Oct 28, 2024
Male openings:
15
|
Female openings:
13
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
July 7, 2024
Travel & Insights: Japan
Adult Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Nov 14
-
Nov 14
2024
Location:
Virtual
Ages 18 - 99
Cost: $
40
Thinking about a trip to Japan, or just want to learn about what it's like there? Join staff from Mori no Ike, our Japanese Language Village, for cultural insights and travel advice! In this workshop, you can: Learn communication tips such as slang, jargon, and gestures to help you get by day-to-day, even as a Japanese novice; know where to go, where to eat, and where to buy items you need during your trip; and gain valuable perspectives on cultural norms to help you fully experience all that Japan has to offer! This session will be conducted in English.
Registration closes
Nov 13, 2024
Male openings:
25
|
Female openings:
17
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
July 9, 2024
Survival Japanese: Food & Dining
Adult Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Dec 17
-
Dec 17
2024
Location:
Virtual
Ages 15 - 99
Cost: $
40
Planning a trip to Japan, or even just to your local Japanese restaurant? Take part in this virtual workshop to learn some basic Japanese vocabulary around food and the Japanese restaurant dining experience!
Registration closes
Dec 16, 2024
Male openings:
25
|
Female openings:
25
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 1, 2024
Japanese Adult Virtual Class
Adult Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Jan 6
-
Feb 12
2025
Location:
Virtual
Ages 19 - 99
Cost: $
470
Meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm Central. This class for beginner-intermediate language learners, taught by experienced Concordia Language Villages Japanese teachers, offers real-time, interactive small group learning using our language immersion teaching methodology. Build your confidence in understanding and speaking Japanese, learning real-life language you can use to communicate with real people. Classes include activities you complete on your own time to extend your learning. Covers the grammar of roughly chapters 6-10 of Genki I Integrated Elementary Japanese. Builds on the previous course, “Japanese for Beginner Class for Adults”.
Registration closes
Jan 4, 2025
Male openings:
15
|
Female openings:
15
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 1, 2024
Survival Japanese: Greetings & Basic Phrases
Adult Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Jan 7
-
Jan 7
2025
Location:
Virtual
Ages 15 - 99
Cost: $
40
Are you planning a trip to Japan? Or do you interact with Japanese speakers through school, work, or around your neighborhood and want to be able to greet them and exchange some basic phrases in Japanese? Or just want an easy and welcoming introduction to a new language? Take part in our "Survival Japanese" workshop to learn some basic greetings, words, and phrases!
Registration closes
Jan 6, 2025
Male openings:
25
|
Female openings:
25
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 1, 2024
Travel & Insights: Japan
Adult Virtual
|
Japanese
Dates:
Jan 18
-
Jan 18
2025
Location:
Virtual
Ages 18 - 99
Cost: $
40
Thinking about a trip to Japan, or just want to learn about what it's like there? Join staff from Mori no Ike, our Japanese Language Village, for cultural insights and travel advice! In this workshop, you can: Learn communication tips such as slang, jargon, and gestures to help you get by day-to-day, even as a Japanese novice; know where to go, where to eat, and where to buy items you need during your trip; and gain valuable perspectives on cultural norms to help you fully experience all that Japan has to offer! This session will be conducted in English.
Registration closes
Jan 13, 2025
Male openings:
25
|
Female openings:
25
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
July 9, 2024
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Government & Corporate Programs

A global outlook is important for success in the domestic and international arena. Concordia Language Villages offers customized corporate, government and military training programs to meet the specific needs of our clients.

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LEARN ABOUT

scholarship

OPPORTUNITIES

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.

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

Find Additional Information Here

Our Location:

Mori no Ike

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Minne-wa-Kan

Mori no Ike is located at Camp Minne-wa-Kan on the shores of Lake Andrusia, near Cass Lake, Minn. Cass Lake is located within the boundaries of the beautiful Chippewa National Forest, home to one of the largest populations of breeding Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. We are currently raising funds to build a permanent facility at our Turtle River Lake site.

Camp Minne-wa-Kan features classic log-cabin architecture, groomed swimming and canoeing beach, sports field, lakeside dining hall and a central activity building. Cabins house up to 16 villagers and staff in bunk beds. Bathrooms and showers are housed in a central building just a short walk from the cabins.

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meet

OUR

team

Read more about our professional staff at Mori no Ike, our Japanese Language Village.

Meredith Koyomi Hanson

Dean

Koyomi began learning Japanese as a villager at Mori no Ike, and has worked at Concordia Language Villages since 2003 in the Japanese and French Language Villages, as well as providing professional development to staff members from all languages. For her master's degree in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Koyomi conducted research with villagers at Mori no Ike. During the school year, she teaches English, ESL and Japanese at a boarding school in the Northeast.

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Jack Tamaki Shimuzu

Dean

Tamaki has worked with Concordia Language Villages since 2009 and has served as our Dean for Japanese programming during the second half of the summer since 2016. He holds a bachelor’s in East Asian Studies and Psychology from The College of William & Mary and a master’s in Japanese Linguistics from the University of Hawaii. During the school year Tamaki works full time as a Japanese language immersion teacher at a public elementary school in his home state of Virginia.

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Kaylene Hideko Ruwart

Kaylene Hideko Ruwart is co-dean of Mori no Ike (first half), the Japanese Language Village. Hideko started learning Japanese in the late 90s armed with a dictionary, highlighters and a whole lot of Sailor Moon songs. Through the years, she has been a villager, counselor, credit teacher, credit facilitator and assistant dean, as well as the unofficial Official Graphic Designer for Mori (and creator of mascot Kouta). Outside of the Concordia Language Villages, she works for college readiness programs AVID and TRIO Upward Bound and occasionally does graphic design and illustration work. When not working, she’s usually found reading sci fi-fantasy novels, writing one or drinking tea.

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Kenia Akari Hara

Program Leader

Kenia Akari Hara is the Lead Teacher for Mori no Ike's fall/spring virtual high school credit program. Akari first joined Concordia Language Villages in 2013 as a Credit Teacher and became Lead Teacher in January 2022. As a D.C.-raised global citizen with roots in Cuba and Spain and her heart in Japan, race, identity and hybridity have been a constant point of interest. She has a passion for teaching Japanese to students of all ages as a fun, fascinating and complex language and culture.

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Kai Shouya 翔也 Martin

Program Leader

Shouya 翔也 (he/they) is currently a student of Japanese and Religion at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. They spend the few weeks of the year that they aren't in Minnesota in New Jersey with their family and many cats. The welcoming camp culture he experienced as a villager inspired him to grow into a leader striving to translate that same compassion through a virtual setting.

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Magda Umi Fuller

Program Leader

Magda Umi Fuller is a former El Lago del Bosque villager of 10 years and has worked at Mori no Ike since 2020, most recently as the two-week activity facilitator. She's excited to be involved with Concordia Language Villages again after seven years of living and working in Kanazawa, Japan. When she's not at camp, she enjoys visiting offbeat tourist traps, collecting strange GoogleMaps reviews and meeting new dogs.

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Work at Concordia Language Villages

Concordia Language Villages staff may speak a Village language, creatively teach culture, work and play hard. They also develop skills and qualities that will make them excellent employees in any field.