In Japanese, the word for "tomorrow" is ashita, written with the two kanji above. The first kanji is the kanji for "bright" and the second is for "day".  I'm sure all of us, students and staff alike, are looking forward to an exciting start to the Academy tomorrow. Your bright faces and shining hopes are both our reward and our motivation to make sure this Academy will be an amazing experience for everyone. Everything is set, and we eagerly await your arrival!
For any student who is not crystal clear on how to join the Zoom meeting for tomorrow's 9:30AM Opening Ceremony, please immediately send an email to
[email protected]
Please enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend, and get some rest! Tomorrow is a big day!

With only four days to go, both students and staff are counting down to a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience. Preparations for the 2021 Virginia Governor's Japanese Language Academy are nearing completion. Core Japanese lessons, wonderful activities, and exciting guest lecturers have all been planned as the staff of the Academy await the chance to meet with this year's group of brilliant minds. We are proud of the program we have created, utilizing the lessons we have learned from a year of online pedagogy to help us build a robust and interactive immersion experience in an online format. We hope that all of our Academy participants will enjoy their time here as they build friendships and a deeper understanding of Japanese language and culture. As students wrap up their current year of schooling, we look forward to welcoming everyone into an amazing experience to start their summer!