Building Bridges Through Learning: TP-Bridge Program Seoul Study Tour Report
TUFS Featured
From July 22 to July 25, 2025, a four-day Seoul Study Tour was conducted under the TP-Bridge Program of the Inter-University Exchange Project (U.S., etc.).
The purpose of the TP-Bridge Program is to foster bridge persons who can “bridge” the Pacific Ocean by deepening international understanding through visiting museums and other places where students from Japan, the U.S. and the Philippines seldom visit in private but can learn about the relationship between Japan and Korea, as well as through lectures given by professors of Seoul National University (SNU) and experiencing the culture by interacting with SNU students.
This study tour was led by program coordinators and staff. This year, a total of 12 participants, 4 international students from partner universities and 8 TUFS students who are going to study abroad at partner universities, took part in the tour. They stayed in a twin room shared by international and Japanese students at a hotel in Gangnam, a popular area in Seoul.
Day 1｜Arrival and Visiting Cultural Facilities
Upon arrival in Seoul, we visited the War and Women's Human Rights Museum with a Q&A session with museum staff and then Namsangol Hanok Village. We then stopped by at N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower) and checked in at the hotel.
Day 2｜Exchange at SNU
In the morning, we joined a campus tour conducted by SNU volunteer students on campus. After having lunch at the cafeteria in SNU, we attended a lecture by Prof. Ye Sul Oh of the Department of English Language and Literature at SNU and exchanged opinions with the participating SNU students.
Day 3｜Deepening Understanding of History
In the morning, we had a lecture by Prof. Ki-Jeong Nam of the Institute for Japanese Studies at SNU to deepen our knowledge of the history of Japan and Korea. We had lunch at a cafeteria different from the previous day on campus, and in the afternoon, we visited the Colonial History Museum guided by an English-speaking guide to deepen our understanding of Japan-Korea relations followed by a Q&A session.
Day 4｜Returning to Japan
Students enjoyed shopping etc. during their free time after checking out of the hotel until the meeting time and returned to Japan safely.
Many of the participating students commented on the insights they gained, such as learning about aspects of Japan-Korea relations that are not often taught in class. This year's study tour also gave valuable experience for each participating student, who learned various things from their own perspectives.
◆TP-Bridge Program Official Website：
https://www.tufs.ac.jp/english/tp-bridge/
Contact to TP-Bridge:
TP-Bridge Office, Inter-University Exchange Project (U.S., etc.)
tenkai-bridge-coordinator[at]tufs.ac.jp (Please replace [at] with @ when sending)