Packaging Innovation in Japan

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Course Discipline:

  • Packaging Science
  • Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Industrial Design

Credits: 3

Program Type: RIT Faculty-Led Program

Term(s): Spring/Summer

Language of Instruction: English

Level:

Undergraduate, Graduate

Tokyo, Japan

Explore Japanese packaging innovations by visiting Japanese companies and exploring how Japanese culture and business practices influence packaging design.

Highlights

  • Learn advanced SolidWorks software skills
    • This is excellent preparation for students planning to take the Certificate of Solidworks Associate (CSWA) exam, a professional certificate recognized worldwide.
  • Spend a week in Tokyo visiting Japanese companies, like Kirin Brewery, Shinkai Transport, and a plastic recycling company, the Toyosu Fish Market (the world’s largest fish market), and TeamLabs (an interactive digital art experience).
  • Travel to the historic city of Kanazawa, where you will stay and live on campus with one of RIT’s exchange partners, Kanazawa Institute of Technology.
  • Tour companies, meet packaging engineers, and experience Japan’s focus on innovation and stringent quality control in packaging design.
  • Design a final project inspired by Japanese packaging using acquired Solidworks 3D CAD skills.

    No Japanese language required - program is taught in English.

Japan is globally recognized for its creativity and precision in packaging design. During the Spring 2026 semester at RIT, you will explore how Japanese culture, technology, and business practices drive innovation in packaging and build advanced SolidWorks skills to lay the groundwork for your final design project. In early summer, you'll travel to Japan, starting in Tokyo. There, you will visit leading packaging companies, the Japan Packaging Institute, and the Museum of Package Culture, as well as cultural sites like the Toyosu Fish Market and TeamLabs.

The program continues in Kanazawa, where you will stay on campus at Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT), an RIT exchange partner. You’ll join workshops led by KIT faculty, collaborate with local students, and tour food and craft companies known for their quality and innovation. The program culminates in a final packaging design project inspired by your experiences in Japan. This unique blend of technical training and cultural immersion offers valuable global insight and professional preparation in packaging and product design.

While in Tokyo, you will stay in a shared hotel room. While at KIT, you will stay in the International Community House (student housing) on campus.

Course Term: Spring course at RIT, travel to Japan in early Summer
Travel Dates: May 10-29, 2026
Credits: 3

Course Details:

  • CET-ENGT 518: Global Engineering - Experiencing Packaging Innovation in Japan (3 credits)
    Students will be enrolled in a spring course at RIT and travel to Japan in early summer. The course may count as a major elective or a free elective.

There are no course prerequisites; however, applicants should have some experience with SolidWorks software. No Japanese language is required.

Open to all undergraduate majors (2nd year and above, 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher will be given priority) and graduate students.

Application Deadline: October 19, 2025

Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: Student Budget Worksheet - Packaging Innovation in Japan, Spring/Summer 2026 - outlines all program costs.

Financial Aid:
Financial aid may cover some program costs. As you review the budget worksheet, please remember that it does not include your RIT financial aid or scholarships, which may cover some of the program costs. The purpose of the budget worksheet is to show all the costs associated with your study abroad program, which will help your RIT Financial Aid Assistant Director determine how your aid and scholarships may be applied. 

To understand how your financial aid and scholarships may apply to your program costs:

  • Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment
  • Upload a copy of your budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting so they have time to prepare) 
    • Please rename the file name of your budget worksheet before uploading it to the Financial Aid portal based on the instructions provided in the portal (adding your name and student ID)

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact#counseling-team

We recommend you meet with Financial Aid before the application deadline so you understand how your aid will apply. The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125.

Scholarships:

  • RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
    All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need, as determined by financial aid and your FAFSA on file.

  • Additional Scholarships
    RIT scholarships and national scholarships for study abroad are good options to explore for scholarship funding. Make sure you are checking scholarship eligibility requirements and take note of scholarship deadlines. 

To Apply

Applications are currently closed (application deadline has been reached)

Watch this video, which goes over all the important application steps for RIT Faculty-Led Programs

Contact

Changfeng Ge 
Professor, Department of Packaging and Graphic Media Science
College of Engineering Technology
cfgmet@rit.edu