It’s in both English and Japanese, so no language prerequisites here!



Keio University in Tokyo is Japan’s oldest university and one of the most prestigious in the country. We’ve seen them before with cosplaying professors, inventions that use the “Force,” and bento printing machines. But now you can get to know Keio University even more intimately by taking an actual course online for free.

Starting July 18, Keio University will be running the Japanese Culture Through Rare Books class online. In it, you can look at old Japanese books, manuscripts, scrolls, and more from the 9th to 17th centuries in high-resolution images and videos to explore what they can tell us about the people who made them, and the culture of the time period.

Check out the official website for a short but very inspiring video by Professor Takahiro Sasaki to get an introduction to the course.

If you’re interested in Japanese history or culture but don’t have a lot of time to spare, then Japanese Culture Through Rare Books is perfect. It’s just three weeks long, and only about three hours per week. By the end of the class, Keio Univserity says that among other accomplishments, you’ll “have a good understanding of the various types of traditional Japanese books and their history.” We assume that basically means you’ll become a Japanese literature ninja, which is an offer too good to pass up.

So go on over to the course page and sign up for free! We’ll all learn about cool, old Japanese books together. Best of all, since it’s an introductory class, no prior knowledge or prerequisites are required, although if you need a quick refresher on Japanese history, then we may have a recommendation.

Source/images: Future Learn