Lab Introduction
LABORATORY LIST Laboratory (laboratory and atelier training) introduction
Our faculty offers seminar classes commonly referred to as "labs." Their official name is "Lab Atelier Training," and they are a unique class format not found at other universities or faculties. These are internship-style, irregular seminar classes based at the faculty's affiliated research institute, the Aoyama Community Lab (ACL), and sometimes leave campus to work in collaboration with external organizations such as the local community, companies, and government agencies. Unlike regular seminars, students can participate in the "workplace" of a company.
Sibuya Karuizawa Media Management (MM) Lab
Person in charge: Norio Iguchi
This lab focuses on Sibuya and Karuizawa as creative and cultural cities, and students manage the representative media. Specifically, we are working on the following two projects.
A. Secure a program slot (2 programs per month) with a well-known media outlet in Sibuya, and plan, conduct interviews, and appear on the program.
B. Based on the above, we will plan, interview and appear on programs in Karuizawa media with the sensibilities of Sibuya Generation Z.
*The professor in charge was born and raised near Aoyama Campus and has been working at the university since 1993. He participated in the launch of Sobun in 2008 and proposed the concepts of lab training, Aogaku Studio, and Aogaku TV. To date, about 100 Sobun students have graduated from the university every year through seminars and labs. He plans to continue this lab for a while after his retirement at the end of the 2024 academic year.
Classical music concert production, public relations, and fan management (also known as the "Music Management Lab")
Person in charge: Chikako Itagaki
① Participate in the "Hayato Kadono Upright Piano Project" as Music Management Lab. The project will be held in early December 2025.
② The Chopin International Piano Competition to be held in October 2025 has produced many star pianists in the past, but this course will learn how the competition is actually run, look at the advantages and disadvantages of the competition, and consider how to build a musician's career.
3) Plan and organize concerts at nursery schools and senior citizen facilities, or cooperate with Tower Records store events.
(Video) Business Producer Development Lab
Person in charge: Takashi Uchiyama
Every year, we will provide practical training in the series of processes involved in "producing" video as a business (not as a hobby), from development, pre-production, "production," post-production, distribution, and multiple use (the content and areas of training will change depending on the year). We will provide appropriate opportunities and invite experts each time.
Digital Storytelling
Person in charge: Masashi Oshima
Welcome to the world of the Metaverse! At the Digital Storytelling Lab, we are working to create next-generation experiences using VR, AR, and more.
Students can learn 3D modeling and game engines to create their own works, or participate in collaborative projects with companies and public institutions. For example, they created a world where they could observe humpback whales in "Whale Research VR," tried to create a live experience using a music label and the metaverse in "Veatsall," and are also paying attention to classroom theater programs and online children's spaces using VR. By participating in contests outside of school, we also support students to improve their appeal for the future.
Let's use your passion and ideas to create new experiences that will lead to a better society!
Filmmaking Lab
Person in charge: Akira Kinouchi
This is a lab where you can learn about planning, production, and PR through film, starting from "zero funds, zero experience, and zero connections."
1. Planning (movie viewing/analysis, planning, fundraising including crowdfunding)
2. Production (Short film production, on-site filming experience, etc.)
3. PR (entertainment administration, press relations, previews, screenings, social media, promotional activities)
Workshops, training sessions and talks by industry professionals are also planned.
Aoyama Urban Design Lab−
Person in charge: Norihiko Dan
This is an urban design practice focusing on Aoyama and Sibuya. Students will conduct field research and analysis of the approximately 50 hectare block of land bounded by the three main streets of Aoyama-dori, Omotesando, and Meiji-dori, known as Aoyama Triangle, and the surrounding area, as well as propose urban designs, while also considering and designing the identity and future vision of the urban area around Sibuya and Aoyama. Based on the experience and perspective of Norihiko Dan (Lab Master) in architectural design and urban design, the lab will be treated as an urban design team, organized into several groups, and various research will be carried out while putting together a plan proposal in the second half of the program. Specifically, the program will proceed in the following manner.
(1) Conduct field surveys of the target area to acquire the observational skills and knowledge to understand the relationship between cities and architecture.
(2) Create maps and analyses to understand the identity of Aoyama urban area and create novel analytical tools.
(3) After creating the above urban recognition tool, urban design proposals will be made for specific areas.
(4) Actively appoint seminar students who have made excellent proposals in this area in the past as TAs, and provide lectures and guidance from outside lecturers as appropriate.
Research and practice of music-specific web media
Person in charge: Osamu Tokairin
Students will be managing an online media outlet specializing in music (http://uncannyzine.com/). In addition to planning, editing, interviewing, and other production duties, students will also be involved in various practical aspects of management, including promotion and other marketing activities. In particular, when planning projects, students will be conducting cultural research to explore the background of the works and artists, and in addition to acquiring basic knowledge, they will also develop ways of thinking and the ability to communicate their own ideas to others. In addition, every year, guest speakers are invited, mainly from companies in the music industry, to learn directly about the actual workplace.
"The Power of Words" Lab
Person in charge: Hideo Honda
Where do words come from? Strangely enough, when you suddenly turn your attention away from the words you've been searching for in front of your computer or paper, and feel the soft air outside or the sunlight filtering through the trees, words sometimes "come to you." However, in order for words to come to you, you need to make sure you don't lose time alone in a twisted way.
In the written word, multiple facts are painstakingly researched, thought as one writes, then set those thoughts aside for a moment, taken a detour, imagined a different line of thought, forgotten, rethought, and transformed with the brilliance of details never anticipated at first...in this way the power of words is honed.
In this lab, you will learn various writing and editing methods such as articles, essays, interview articles, and commentary. Write enthusiastically, think creatively, and communicate.
Engaging with the world through video translation (commonly known as "Video Translation Lab")
Person in charge: Junichi Miyazawa
We will practice "video translation" (mainly subtitling) and hold independent screenings.
Students will learn how to appreciate video works, understand the significance of video translation, and deepen their interest in foreign cultures and global issues (particularly refugee issues and social discrimination). At the same time, they will learn the true essence of "project management" and teamwork through the practice of holding independent film screenings.
As in previous years, we plan to participate in creating subtitles for films entered in film festivals that our cooperating organization (Japan Video Translation Academy, abbreviated as JVTA) is involved in (such as the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia and the Refugee Film Festival organized by the Japan Association for UNHCR).
Fairtrade Lab
Person in charge: Yutaka Morishima
After understanding the concepts of fair trade and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), students will take the initiative in planning and implementing fair trade awareness activities on campus.
Every year we carry out the following projects:
1. We will hold a Fair Trade Week in both semesters to promote fair trade products such as coffee on campus.
2. Planning by students. The planning team plans ways to spread fair trade and collaborates with the school cafeteria, store and companies.
3. We introduce Fair Trade Lab's activities to other universities, junior and senior high schools, and other organizations.
Special feature: School of Cultural and Creative Studies project "Fair Trade Lab" is a hot topic both on and off campus!
Creative Lab
Person in charge: Rie Yamazaki
This is a lab where students, who are the first batch of students in School of Cultural and Creative Studies and are active as PR planners/marketers, launch and implement projects with cutting-edge companies and creators. Students will use their unique perspectives and sensibilities to come up with ideas for issues facing companies and their generation, and launch concrete plans. Through project work, students will gain insight into social issues and the world, and by watching and analyzing social conditions and trends, they will develop the ability to create plans that are needed in the world.
By interacting with professional creators and members of the workforce, you will become keenly aware of how your past experiences and ways of thinking have been trapped within your own small framework. By experiencing the real world, you will get to know yourself better, and I hope that this will be an opportunity for you to discover what you want to aim for and what you want to do in the future.
Graduate Student Project
Person in charge: Masashi Oshima
A time when you are so immersed in creative activities that you forget the passage of time. We believe that experiencing such times helps people grow, improves their well-being in life, and leads to contributions to the people and society around them. In this project, we are conducting research on the "creative culture" that is created by groups of people who are enthusiastically engaged in creative practice in this way. We aim to contribute to fostering a "creative culture" by conducting fieldwork in actual companies and communities and investigating and researching the interactions between creativity and organizational culture.
