Since 2017, the Shibaura Institute of Technology, opens an external URL in a new window and the research unit Regional Planning and Regional Development at TU Vienna have been offering the transdisciplinary course “Experiencing Japan/Austria,” supported by the Japan Austria Science Exchange Center (JASEC).
In 2025, the exchange program took place for the fourth time, with Japanese students visiting Vienna, or Austrian students traveling to Tokyo. The excursion consisted of a mixture of field trips and urban design projects created in international working groups. All participants reflected on spatial development strategies and the specific spatial challenges in Japan and Austria. We experienced “positive culture shocks” and, last but not least, became friends!
Program
September 12-14: Osaka
- Arrival and Dotonbori visit
- Self organized trips
- World Expo visit
September 15-16: Nagasaki
- Atomic bomb museum
- Abandoned coal island “Guankanjima”
- Cable car trip + sundown view
- Glover Garden + Shianbashi downtown
September 17-18.: Hizenhama-Shuku
- Guided tour on village development,
lecture on “rural Japan” - Tea ceremony
- Onsen visit
- Dinner at the train station
September 18-27: Tokyo
- Welcome ceremony
- Guided tours and lectures at SIT
campusses - Group work and on-site excursions
- Mid-term and final presentations