If you’re interested in animation, filmmaking, character design, storytelling, or digital media, high school is a great time to start exploring how creative projects are actually made. Behind every animated series, film, or visual production is a process that involves writing, design, editing, collaboration, and countless creative decisions. One of the best ways to get better at this process is through film & animation summer programs in Japan for high school students.

Imagine spending your summer creating storyboards, developing characters, learning animation techniques, filming short projects, or working with other students to bring an idea from concept to completion. Along the way, you’ll gain practical skills while developing a better understanding of how professional creators approach visual storytelling.

Why pursue film & animation summer programs in Japan as a high schooler?

For many students interested in animation, Japan is often one of the first countries that comes to mind. Its animation industry has produced some of the most influential films, series, and creative works in the world, reaching audiences far beyond its borders. The country’s long-standing tradition of visual storytelling continues to shape animation, film, gaming, and popular culture globally.

Studying film and animation in Japan offers more than exposure to anime. You can explore broader topics such as storytelling, visual composition, character development, filmmaking, and creative production while learning in a country with a rich artistic tradition. The environment itself can be a source of inspiration, with creative influences visible in everything from design and architecture to media and entertainment.

To help you evaluate your choices, we compiled a guide to 13 film and animation summer programs in Japan for high school students! We selected these based on their advanced production tools, direct access to mentors, and excellent international reputations.

For adjacent opportunities, consider summer programs in Japan.

13 Film & Animation Summer Programs in Japan for High School Students

1. The Experiment: Japan: Anime & Manga

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Cost: Varies by session
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High schoolers in grades 9 through 12; international learners are eligible to apply

The Experiment in International Living runs a multi-week summer program in Tokyo for teenagers who want to build their creative portfolio in digital illustration and animation. You will travel to Tokyo to study character creation, traditional illustration, and digital animation at a reputable local anime school under the guidance of active industry professionals.

You will complete practical tasks using professional production software such as Photoshop, Clip Studio, and Adobe Premiere to develop your creative skills. The daily schedule includes guided visits to Tokyo’s major pop culture and gaming districts, such as Akihabara, Harajuku, and Ikebukuro, to observe professional media environments.

Why it stands out: High schoolers learn character creation and digital art from active professionals in the Japanese industry while experiencing a traditional local homestay. 

2. Immerse Education’s Tokyo Film & Animation Summer School

Location: Tokyo
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students worldwide aged 15-18; open to international students

The Immerse’s Career Insights Program lets high school students explore careers in major global industry hubs. The Film & Animation track is designed to provide students with skills in 3D animation, storytelling, and film production under the guidance of leading academics and industry experts.

Participants engage in project-based learning with established companies, attend interactive workshops, and visit offices, factories, and headquarters. The program also includes in-person weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions and sessions where you will receive personalized feedback on your resume and overall profile. You’ll also present your findings to industry experts at the end of the program. You can find more details about the application here!

Why it stands out: It’s a unique opportunity to study in Tokyo, a global hub for anime and cinematic innovation, with expert mentorship in storytelling, 3D animation, and production, while you create your own personal projects for a portfolio.

3. Aoba’s Musical Theater Summer Camp

Location: Tokyo, Japan (Jassey Hall, Aoba Japan International School)
Cost: Unspecified (An exclusive early bird sign-up discount of 37% off is available for Aoba students)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 19th – August 1st
Application Deadline: Early bird registration by March 25th; rolling admissions for remaining spots
Eligibility: Students aged 11-19; open to international learners

Aoba Japan International School runs an intensive 12-day Mainstage summer camp focusing on dramatic performance and stagecraft. You will travel to Tokyo to study acting, singing, dancing, and stagecraft in an intensive musical theatre setting. You will complete practical design tasks like set painting, choreography execution, and character development during weekday sessions to build your creative skills.

The daily schedule includes comprehensive vocal training with a professional coach, movement synchronization, and hands-on set construction overseen by expert designers. You will finish the program by performing in a fully staged production of Anything Goes Youth Edition for family and friends at Jassey Hall. You can apply here! 

Why it stands out: It provides an immersive, English-medium theatrical environment where teens collaborate directly with master conductors, scenic artists, and former professional dancers to mount a full-scale stage production.  

4. YES Canada Global Anime Program

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Cost: $6,175
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 22nd – August 1st
Application Deadline: March 10th
Eligibility: High school students ages 15 to 18; international learners are eligible to apply

YES Canada’s Global Anime Program gives you ten days inside Tokyo’s anime scene while studying at Tokyo Communication Arts College. Over 24 hours of structured instruction, you’ll learn about animation production, storytelling, and visual design using the same kinds of tools found in professional studios. Classes are paired with visits to districts such as Akihabara, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro, where you’ll see how anime and media culture operate outside the classroom.

Throughout the programme, you’ll work on your own creative project and receive feedback from instructors. Bilingual staff help students navigate both the coursework and the cultural experience. The programme concludes with a showcase where you’ll present your completed work.

Why it stands out: High schoolers train on professional studio hardware at a leading Tokyo arts college, with dedicated bilingual chaperones and interpreters.

5. Tokyo Coding Club Private Design and Video Production Lessons

Location: Tokyo, Japan (Nishiazabu or Futako Tamagawa centers) or online
Cost: Custom quote following a free trial lesson
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Flexible scheduling; start anytime
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Ages 5 to 18; open to international students, as all classes run in English

Tokyo Coding Club’s Design and Video Production programme is completely built around your interests and goals. Since lessons are one-on-one, you won’t be following the same project as everyone else in a classroom. If you’re interested in graphic design, you’ll work with tools like Photoshop and Illustrator to create visual content, storyboards, and digital artwork. If filmmaking interests you more, you’ll focus on scriptwriting, cinematography, editing, and post-production.

Instructors adapt the pace and content based on what you’re trying to build, whether that’s a short film, a design portfolio, or a personal creative project. Sessions are taught in English and can take place in Tokyo or online. The result is a programme that feels much more like mentorship than a traditional summer course.

Why it stands out: You receive private instruction from industry professionals to complete your own short films and graphic design portfolio.

6. Ochabi Institute Design and Art Department: Video Course

Location: Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan
Cost: 375,000 JPY
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed; small-group classes
Dates: Weekend course – Saturdays 14:00-21:00 and Sundays 10:00-17:00 across the academic year
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment via the official application site
Eligibility: High school third-year students and graduates preparing for Japanese art-university entrance exams; instruction is in Japanese, so international students already living in Japan with Japanese-language proficiency are eligible to apply

Ochabi Institute’s Video Course was created for students planning to apply to Japanese universities with strong film, photography, animation, and media arts programmes, making it a useful option among film & animation summer programs in Japan for high school students. You’ll spend weekends developing the kinds of creative and analytical skills that entrance exams often require. Classes cover drawing, visual storytelling, essay writing, filmmaking, and portfolio development, with particular attention given to Musashino Art University’s famous Sensory Test.

Studio sessions include hands-on video production work, allowing you to create films while learning how visual ideas are communicated. Instructors regularly review your work and help you refine both your portfolio and university application strategy. The programme runs throughout the academic year, giving you time to improve steadily rather than rushing through projects.

Why it stands out: Few prep tracks cover the Sensory Test, a format unique to Musashino Art University’s Imaging Department, so the teaching focuses on the exact content of the exam rather than general art preparation.

7. Yokohama International School Digital Media & Design Studio

Location: Yokohama, Japan (Honmoku campus)
Cost: 71,500 JPY (2 weeks); 65,000 JPY internal tier
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: June 22nd to July 3rd
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 to 12 in August; international students are eligible if they arrange local accommodation with a parent

Yokohama International School runs a two-week digital media program for middle and high schoolers curious about creative technology. You study the workflows that real marketers and content creators use to produce digital projects. Working with graphic design software, photography, and videography, you create interactive websites and full marketing campaigns.

Instructors guide you through the storytelling behind a personal portfolio or a new digital brand, making the course a soft entry into future marketing and communications work. You can fill out the pre-application form here.

Why it stands out: Middle and high schoolers create personal brands and marketing campaigns using professional photography and web design tools.

8. Tokyo Animation College – Open Campus Guest Day / Trial Class

Location: Tokyo Animation College, Tokyo, Japan
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: May 31st, June 28th, July 19th, and July 25th
Application Deadline: No fixed deadline; advance reservation is required
Eligibility: High school students only for Guest Day; advance reservation required; event intended for people considering admission, not guest-event-only attendance; open to international students

In this program, you participate as a prospective student in Tokyo Animation College’s reserved open-campus format. On Guest Day, you attend a guest talk, a school-features explanation, and then choose a course trial class or explanation/tour. For animation, verified trial options include beginner drawing work, learning what animators do, animation production-process guidance, computer work, digital drawing with a pen display and industry-used software, digital paint, 3DCG software, and MAPPA/A-1 Pictures special animation sessions.

The practical emphasis is anime/animation production, not live-action film. You gain introductory exposure to drawing workflow, CG/digital tools, and professional expectations.

Why it stands out: It combines a high-school-only reserved Guest Day format with an animation trial class that lets prospective students sample drawing, production, and digital/CG workflows tied to anime careers.

9. Kudan Japanese Manga Course

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Cost: 162,000 JPY to 416,000 JPY
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: January, April, July, and October sessions (1 to 3 months)
Application Deadline: Not published
Eligibility: Students aged 15 and older; open to international students

Kudan’s Japanese Manga Course splits your day between learning Japanese and learning how manga is created. Mornings focus on language classes where you’ll improve your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. In the afternoon, you’ll attend manga lessons taught by professional artists from Nihon Mangajuku, a manga school near Akihabara. Classes cover character design, facial expressions, body proportions, storytelling techniques, and drawing styles used across different manga genres.

Living in Tokyo also gives you constant exposure to the culture that shaped the medium. Cultural activities such as tea ceremonies and calligraphy sessions are included alongside the academic work. By the end, you’ll leave with both stronger Japanese skills and original manga artwork. You can fill out the inquiry form here for more information.

Why it stands out: You combine intensive morning Japanese classes with specialized afternoon manga lessons taught by professional manga artists.

10. Genki Japanese and Culture School Summer Program

Location: Fukuoka and Kyoto, Japan
Cost: Custom quote on request
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8-9
Dates: July 6 start date (Fukuoka); July 6th & 20th, August 3rd & 17th start dates (Kyoto); July 6th & August 3rd (Nagoya)
Application Deadline: Not published
Eligibility: Ages 14 to 17 (Fukuoka), 14 to 19 (Kyoto), and 14+ (Nagoya); open to international students

Genki Japanese and Culture School’s Summer Program combines language learning with creative and cultural activities across Kyoto and Fukuoka. Daily classes help you improve your Japanese, while afternoon sessions introduce activities such as manga drawing, taiko drumming, cultural workshops, and temple visits. Depending on the location you choose, the experience can feel quite different.

Kyoto places more emphasis on intensive language study, while Fukuoka offers a lighter academic schedule with additional cultural trips and activities. Small class sizes mean you’ll spend plenty of time speaking Japanese and interacting with teachers. Throughout the programme, you’ll experience Japanese culture both inside and outside the classroom. You can apply here.

Why it stands out: You choose between an intensive language course in Kyoto or a relaxed cultural camp in Fukuoka featuring trips to Universal Studios.

11. Yoyogi Animation Academy – Anime & Entertainment Specialist Course

Location: Nine campuses across Japan – Tokyo, Ikebukuro, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Kanazawa
Cost: Varies
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Varies
Application Deadline: Varies per course
Eligibility: High-school-age seniors and juniors; a dedicated international-student pathway exists, though classes are taught in Japanese

Yoyogi Animation Academy’s Anime & Entertainment Specialist Course is closer to a professional training programme than a typical summer workshop. You’ll spend your time learning from instructors who actively work in anime, voice acting, illustration, and entertainment production. Classes take place in studios equipped with the same kinds of tools used in professional environments, and the curriculum is designed for beginners as well as students with prior experience.

Depending on your track, you may focus on animation, voice performance, character creation, or entertainment production. The academy also connects students with auditions and industry opportunities while they’re still enrolled. With campuses across Japan, it has become one of the country’s most recognizable training pathways into anime and entertainment careers. You can apply here.

Why it stands out: It’s one of the very few programs where you earn a standard high school diploma and train full-time for the anime and voice-acting industry at once, with auditions and internships available before you even graduate.

12. TUJ High School Summer Program: Art & Animation Focus

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Cost: 340,000 JPY (plus 20,000 JPY registration fee)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 29th – August 6th
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students entering 9th through 12th grade; open to international learners

Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) offers a fantastic 8-night summer program right in the heart of Tokyo. While the program features Japanese language classes, it’s the elective tracks that make it shine for creative students. You can choose to focus on art, design, and digital media, taking advantage of Temple’s strong collegiate art department.

Beyond the classroom, the daily schedule is packed with cultural excursions, including trips to Nikko and explorations of Tokyo’s vibrant media districts. You get the true collegiate experience by studying on an actual university campus alongside a highly international cohort. You can check out the application details here.

Why it stands out: You get a taste of real college life at an American university’s Tokyo campus, balancing Japanese language immersion with digital media and art electives.

13. CG Spectrum 2D Animation Essentials Program

Location: Online
Cost: Group class (max 4 students) $3,333 USD upfront or $1,222 USD/month; Private 1:1 $4,667 USD upfront or $1,711 USD/month
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Group classes capped at 4 students, or private 1:1
Dates: 3-month course with multiple start dates
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Beginners aged 16+ (under-18s need parent or guardian consent; under-16s need a further assessment); open to international students worldwide, with English-language proficiency required for the online classes

CG Spectrum’s 2D Animation Essentials teaches animation the same way many professionals learn it: by animating one exercise at a time and improving through feedback. Over three months, you’ll work through the 12 Principles of Animation while learning Toon Boom Harmony, one of the industry’s most widely used animation tools. Early projects include exercises such as bouncing balls, flour-sack jumps, and walk cycles before moving into more expressive character animation.

Each assignment builds on the last, helping you understand movement, timing, weight, and performance. Live classes and mentor reviews give you opportunities to revise your work and ask questions throughout the programme. By the end, you’ll have several finished animation pieces that demonstrate your progress. You can apply here.

Why it stands out: The mentor roster includes animators who actually worked on films like Klaus and shows like Rick & Morty, and group classes cap at four students, so you get studio-level feedback in a setting smaller than almost any online animation course.

From Tokyo Studios to Future Study Abroad Plans

Film and animation can show you how creative ideas move from sketches, scripts, and storyboards into finished visual projects.

Through these film & animation summer programs in Japan for high school students, you can experience Tokyo’s creative culture while building practical storytelling, production, and design skills.

These programmes can also help you picture international study more clearly, from adapting to new classrooms to working with peers across cultures.

Could Japan be the start of a wider global learning journey? Read our Study Abroad blogs for destination guides, application advice, student life tips, and planning support.