MUSUBI is the UHM’s Japanese language and culture learning program centered around the original textbook series, MUSUBI: A New Approach to Japanese Language and Culture. The series of textbooks and curriculum for UHM JPN 101 to 202 were developed by a dedicated team of UHM Japanese language instructors, Tomoko Iwai, Emi Murayama, Miki Ogasawara, Yuka Wada, and colleagues over a period of 10+ years.

Iwai-sensei giving a presentation at the 2023 MUSUBI Workshop.

A two-day workshop was held this past weekend, on May 19-20, 2023, in Moore Hall, by the creators of MUSUBI to discuss the essence of the approach, the outcomes of the curriculum, and ways to adapt or incorporate the MUSUBI approach into other Japanese language programs. Tomoko Iwai, Emi Murayama, and Yuka Wada organized and led the workshop, with an opening keynote by Dina Yoshimi (Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures, and CJS faculty).

MUSUBI is available online through Open Educational Resources (OER).

The project to develop the curriculum and the workshop received major support from the U.S. Department of Education, Title VI National Resource Center for East Asia. Workshop co-sponsors: UHM Center for Japanese Studies, Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures, and the Japanese language section.