A diverse group of young adults walking together in Japan

MANARA FELLOWS · JAPAN

Japan Fellowship

Confidence Through Experience.

Seven days of unfamiliar challenges, meaningful access, and guided reflection in a country where tradition and innovation exist side by side.

Seven days of challenge, meaningful access, and reflection across Japan.

Reserve With a $1,000 Deposit

Applied toward tuition · Fully refundable for 14 days.

Not ready to reserve? Request Japan Details →

UPCOMING JAPAN COHORTS

Jan 4–11 · Mar 13–20, 2027

Don’t just go to Japan.
Have a story worth telling.

Don’t just go to Japan.
Have a story worth telling.

Seven days of experiences, challenges, and access you wouldn’t find on your own.

Immersive experiences, real challenges, and access you wouldn’t find on your own.

Young adult walking independently through a quiet Japanese street

Seven days you won’t spend watching from the sidelines.

Seven days you won’t spend watching from the sidelines.

No lectures. No sightseeing checklist. You learn by stepping in, figuring things out, and experiencing Japan for yourself.

No lectures. No sightseeing checklist. You learn by stepping in, figuring things out, and experiencing Japan for yourself.

Kendo practitioners training in a Japanese dojo
Kendo practitioners training in a Japanese dojo

KENDO

Be Willing To Be A Beginner.

Be Willing To Be A Beginner.

Put on the armor, learn the rituals, and experience a tradition built around respect, composure, discipline, courage, and humility. This is not martial-arts training. It is an introduction to how quiet confidence is practised.

Put on the armor and discover how a tradition of respect, discipline, courage, and humility develops quiet confidence.

Why The Dojo?

Kendo is one experience within a much broader fellowship. The goal isn't to become a martial artist. It's to enter as a beginner and experience a tradition where how you show up matters as much as how you perform.

Respect
How you enter, listen, and treat others matters.

Composure
Confidence does not need to be loud.

Courage
Growth begins when you act despite discomfort.

Discipline
Intentions require consistent action.

Humility
Being a beginner is where learning starts.

Why Kendo? +

TOKYO

Nobody Gives You The Answer. You Figure It Out.

Nobody Gives You The Answer. You Figure It Out.

Navigate one of the world’s most complex cities with your cohort. Make decisions, solve challenges, change direction, and discover what independence feels like in practice.

Navigate Tokyo with your cohort, making real decisions and discovering what independence feels like in practice.

People waiting at a Japanese train station

CONVERSATIONS

See Through Another Lens

Meet local voices and share meaningful conversations with people whose experiences widen your perspective.

Adults in a small-group mentoring conversation
Adults in a small-group mentoring conversation
Nighttime street scene in Japan

AKIHABARA

Follow Your Curiosity After Dark.

Explore Tokyo’s electric center of anime, gaming, technology, and youth culture through a challenge that rewards initiative, observation, and discovery.

KYOTO

Slow Down.
See More.

Walk through historic streets, temples, gardens, and artisan neighborhoods where tradition continues to shape everyday life.

Quiet Japanese garden with a red bridge
Traditional Japanese cultural dress beside trees

TEA CEREMONY

The Art Of Attention

Enter a traditional tea room where patience, silence, gesture, and attention matter as much as the tea itself.

See 3 More Experiences ↓

Ages 18–22 · 6–8 fellows · Guided independence

Reserve With a $1,000 Deposit

Request Japan Details →

Kendo practice inside a Japanese dojo

Why The Dojo?

Kendo is one experience within a much broader fellowship. The goal isn't to become a martial artist. It's to enter as a beginner and experience a tradition where how you show up matters as much as how you perform.

Respect
How you enter, listen, and treat others matters.

Composure
Confidence does not need to be loud.

Courage
Growth begins when you act despite discomfort.

Discipline
Intentions require consistent action.

Humility
Being a beginner is where learning starts.

“Learning Kendo was completely outside my comfort zone. I’m not used to shouting that loud, but in Kendo, you have to. It made me realize I need to be more confident in myself.”

“Learning Kendo was completely outside my comfort zone. I’m not used to shouting that loud, but in Kendo, you have to. It made me realize I need to be more confident in myself.”

“Learning Kendo was completely outside my comfort zone. I’m not used to shouting that loud, but in Kendo, you have to. It made me realize I need to be more confident in myself.”

LAILA, 18 · PARTICIPANT · JAPAN, 2026
Manara pilot cohort

Young adult learning Kendo in a Japanese dojo

Japan · 2026

Young adult learning Kendo in a Japanese dojo

Japan · 2026

A Week Designed With Intention

A Week Designed With Intention

ARRIVAL — Leave familiar routines behind.

DISCOMFORT — Enter situations where you do not have every answer.

ACTION — Make decisions, participate, and take responsibility.

CONFIDENCE — Begin trusting your judgment.

PERSPECTIVE — See yourself and the world through a wider lens.

REFLECTION — Understand what the experiences revealed.

RETURN — Bring the lessons into life beyond Japan.

ARRIVAL — Leave familiar routines behind.

DISCOMFORT — Enter situations where you do not have every answer.

ACTION — Make decisions, participate, and take responsibility.

CONFIDENCE — Begin trusting your judgment.

PERSPECTIVE — See yourself and the world through a wider lens.

REFLECTION — Understand what the experiences revealed.

RETURN — Bring the lessons into life beyond Japan.

Designed for growth.
Built with care.

Designed for growth.
Built with care.

Fellows experience meaningful independence within a closely supported, intentionally designed environment.

Explore Safety & Support

Small Cohort — Only 6–8 fellows.

Intentional Experiences — Every major activity has a clear developmental purpose.

Structured Independence — Real decisions within clear boundaries and guidance.

Carefully Selected Partners — Experiences, transportation, and accommodations chosen with care.

Daily Reflection — Experiences are discussed and processed rather than simply consumed.

Small Cohort — Only 6–8 fellows.

Intentional Experiences — Every major activity has a clear developmental purpose.

Structured Independence — Real decisions within clear boundaries and guidance.

Carefully Selected Partners — Experiences, transportation, and accommodations chosen with care.

Daily Reflection — Experiences are discussed and processed rather than simply consumed.

The best souvenir isn’t what you bring home. It’s who you become.

The best souvenir isn’t what you bring home. It’s who you become.

For seven days, Japan becomes more than a destination. It becomes a place to test your independence, widen your perspective, and discover a more grounded kind of confidence.

For seven days, Japan becomes more than a destination. It becomes a place to test your independence, widen your perspective, and discover a more grounded kind of confidence.

UPCOMING & Future JAPAN COHORTS

Jan 4–11 · Mar 13–20 · Jun 13–20 · Aug 8–15, 2027

Reserve With a $1,000 Deposit

Applied toward the $8,950 fellowship tuition.

Not ready to reserve? Request Japan Details →

Questions, answered.

Is this a martial-arts or kendo program?

Is this a sightseeing tour?

Do fellows need previous kendo experience?

How much independence do fellows have?

How much is the Japan Fellowship?

Who is the fellowship designed for?

How many fellows participate?