Faculty & Staff
US Office
Erik Lofgren
Chair
Professor Erik Lofgren is in his second term as Chair of AKP. As Chair, he is responsible for the overall administration of the program. He has also served as Resident Director of the program twice and taught as a Visiting Faculty Fellow at the AKP Kyoto Center three times. At Bucknell University, he teaches courses in Japanese language, literature, and film. He received his Ph.D. in Japanese from Stanford University and conducts research into issues of self in war-related literature, representations of sexual desire in film, and Godzilla; and produces translations of poetry. He is the author of numerous articles as well as a book of translations of haiku by Natsume Sōseki.
Allison Kretschmar
Program Administrator
Allison joined the AKP US Office in 2025, where she provides support to students throughout the application, pre-departure, and re-entry processes. In addition, she collaborates closely with institutional partners and the Kyoto office to address any emerging needs. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from Mars Hill University and an M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of South Carolina. With over a decade of experience in international education, Allison is dedicated to helping students successfully prepare for their academic and cultural experiences in Japan.
2025-2026 Resident Director
Linus Yamane
ライナス山根
Linus Yamane is a Professor of Economics and Asian American Studies at Pitzer College, one of the Claremont Colleges in sunny southern California. He is also a core faculty member in the Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies at the Claremont Colleges. He has a B.S. in Economics from M.I.T., and a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University. His research is in macroeconomics, labor economics, Japan, and Asian American Studies, and he likes to tell economics jokes. His first trip to Japan was during his study abroad semester in college. He has served as Visiting Faculty Fellow in the AKP program three times. He has spent some time at the Japan Development Bank, the World Bank, AT&T Bell Laboratories and the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has also taught at Kwansei Gakuin University, Wellesley College, Harvard University, and Yale University. He has been at Pitzer College since 1988. His favorite hobby is eating, everything from a konbini onigiri to kaiseki ryori.
山根ライナスは、陽光降り注ぐ南カリフォルニアにあるクレアモント・カレッジのひとつ、ピッツァー・カレッジの経済学およびアジア系アメリカ人研究の教授である。また、クレアモント・カレッジのアジア・アメリカ研究部門の中核を担う教授でもある。MITで経済学の学士号、イェール大学で経済学の博士号を取得。研究分野はマクロ経済学、労働経済学、日本、アジア・アメリカ研究。経済学ジョークが好き。初めて日本を訪れたのは大学時代の留学期間中。AKPプログラムの客員研究員を3回務めた。日本開発銀行、世界銀行、AT&Tベル研究所、全米経済研究所に勤務した経験もある。関西学院大学、ウェルズリー大学、ハーバード大学、イェール大学でも教鞭をとる。1988年よりピッツァー大学に在籍。趣味は食べることで、コンビニおにぎりから懐石料理まで何でも食べる。
Kyoto Center Staff
Mari Kawata
河田麻里
Office Director
事務長
Mari Kawata is the Office Director at the AKP Kyoto Center, responsible for managing the day-to-day administrative operations including communications with the AKP US Office and with Doshisha University. She is a native of Kyoto and has studied abroad in the United States, where she lived in a homestay. She has been with the AKP Kyoto Center since 2005.
河田麻里はAKP同志社留学生センターの事務長として、AKPアメリカ事務局や同志社大学とのコミュニケーションを含む日々の管理業務を担当している。京都出身で、アメリカ留学やホームステイの経験もある。AKP同志社留学生センターには2005年から勤務している。
Megumi Yamaguchi
山口恵実
Accounting Coordinator
アカウンティングコーディネーター
Megumi Yamaguchi oversees accounting and money matters at the AKP Kyoto Center. She speaks Kansai-ben and joined AKP in 2010.
山口恵実はAKP同志社留学生センターで会計業務を担当している。関西弁話者。2010年よりAKPで勤務。
Keiko Kawakami
川上圭子
Homestay and Housing Coordinator
ホームステイ・ハウジングコーディネーター
Keiko Kawakami is the Homestay and Housing Coordinator and with the AKP since
July 2024. She was born and raised in Osaka and now lives in Kyoto. Prior to joining
AKP, she worked for many years as a short-term exchange program coordinator and
within the international affairs department of various universities, where she was
responsible for faculty exchange programs, international cooperation and arranging
courtesy visits for executives. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, hiking,
and traveling.
2024年7月よりアAKPで勤務。大阪生まれで現在は京都在住。これまでに、大学で交
換留学生コーディネーターや国際交流課で勤務し、教員交換プログラムや国際協 力、
表敬訪問の手配などを担当してきた。趣味は音楽鑑賞、ハイキング、旅行。
HIROMI FUJII
藤井 紘美
Academic and Event Coordinator アカデミック・イベントコーディネーター
Hiromi Fujii, from Mie prefecture, studied abroad and experienced a homestay in the United States during high school. After working in administrative roles such as a secretary and as a translator, began working as the academic event coordinator at the AKP Kyoto Center in August 2025. Her hobbies include playing/watching volleyball, hiking, and drawing.
三重県出身。高校生時代にアメリカ留学とホームステイを経験。秘書や翻訳などの事務業務を経て、2025年8月より、AKP同志社留学生センターにてアカデミック・イベント業務を担当している。趣味は、バレーボール、山歩き、イラスト。
Language Faculty
Shiho Imao
今尾志保
Shiho Imao received her B.A. in Japanese Literature from Ferris University and her M.A. in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language from San Francisco State University. She worked in the business world and then shifted to Japanese language education. She came to AKP in 2005 after teaching Japanese at Stanford University and Harvard University. She aims to create classes where students can actively learn while making use of the distinctive environment of study abroad. She enjoys playing with her dog.
フェリス女学院大学文学部卒業（日本文学専攻）。サンフランシスコ州立大学修士号（日本語教育）。一般企業勤務を経て日本語教育へ。スタンフォード大学、ハーバード大学で日本語教育に携わったのち、2005年からAKPにて現職。留学という環境を生かしながら、学生が主体的に学べる授業を心がけている。趣味は犬と遊ぶこと。
Ayuka Suemasa
末政歩夏
Ayuka Suemasa received her M.A. in Japanese Language Pedagogy from the University of Utah after graduating from Kansai Gaidai University. She taught Japanese at Oberlin College, Middlebury College Summer School, and Washington University in St. Louis before joining AKP in 2025. Her research interests include katakana acquisition and pronunciation. She is from Osaka, Japan, and enjoys sports and watching animal videos in her free time.
関西外国語大学を卒業後、ユタ大学大学院にて日本語教育学の修士号を取得。これまでにオーバリン大学、ミドルベリー大学サマースクール、ワシントン大学セントルイス校で日本語を教え、2025年よりAKPにて現職。研究テーマはカタカナの習得や発音に関して。大阪府出身。趣味はスポーツと動物の動画を見ること。
Megumi Oyama
大山めぐみ
Megumi Oyama received her B.A. in Japanese Linguistics from International Christian University and her M.A. in East Asian Languages and Literatures from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She arrived at AKP in 2004 after teaching at the University of Oregon, Smith College, and elsewhere. She aims to create learner-centered classes and is interested in peer editing activities. She is from Chiba prefecture and loves cats.
国際基督教大学（教養学部 語学科 日本語学専攻）にて学士号取得、ウィスコンシン大学マディソン校（東アジア言語文学部）にて修士号取得。オレゴン大学、スミス大学などにて日本語教育に携わり、2004年より現職。学習者中心の授業を心がけており、ピアエディティングの活動に興味を持っている。千葉県出身。猫好き。
Kayo Yoshida
吉田佳代
Kayo Yoshida received her B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Iowa and her M.A. in Japanese Language Education from Purdue University. She taught Japanese as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and at Binghamton University before joining AKP in 2019. She taught Japanese at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in 2021–2022 and then returned to AKP, where she has taught since 2022. She is from Miyagi prefecture in the Tohoku region. Her personal interests are shamisen and calligraphy.
アイオワ大学言語学部卒業。インディアナ州パデュー大学で日本語教育を学び、修士
を取得。大学院を卒業後、マサチューセッツ大学ボストン校、ニューヨーク州立大学の一つであるビンガムトン大学で講師として日本語を教える。AKPは2019-2021年勤務。立命館アジア太平洋大学で1年間日本語を教えた後、2022年よりAKPにて現職。宮城県出身。趣味は三味線と書道。
Kazumi Yoshimura
吉村和美
Kazumi Yoshimura received her B.A. in German Language and Studies from Sophia University in Tokyo and her M.A. in Japanese Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has taught for the Japan Foundation (TAP Program), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hokkaido International Foundation (Summer Intensive Course), and University of Sheffield (Summer Study Tour at Doshisha University). She has been with AKP since 1994. Her current position at AKP has its origins in the experiences and perspectives she gained from foreign language study as a German major in college. Through her participation in the establishment of a college department of Japanese language education in a previous position, she started down the path of Japanese language education. She treasures the many encounters with wonderful students and other participants that are only possible through her current work. She is from Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. Her hobbies are going to the theater, watching movies, art appreciation, and reading. She relieves stress with the help of the works and performances of her favorite artists and by spending time in the great outdoors.
上智大学外国語学部ドイツ語学科卒業。ウィスコンシン大学マディソン校大学院修士課程修了（日本語学) 。国際交流基金 (TAPプログラム)、ウィスコンシン大学マディソン校、北海道国際交流センター (夏期集中コース)、シェフィールド大学（同志社大学日本研修旅行）で日本語教育に携わる。1994年より現職。大学でドイツ語学を専攻し、そこでの外国語の学びの経験、視点が現職の原点。前職で大学の日本語教育学科の設置業務に携わったのがきっかけで、日本語教育の道へ。この仕事を通じてでなければありえなかった多くの素晴らしい学生、関係者との出会いが、人生の宝。出身は愛知県名古屋市。趣味は、観劇、映画鑑賞、美術鑑賞、読書。好きなアーティストの作品、パフォーマンスから力をもらうのと大自然に身を置くのがストレス解消法。
2026-2027 Elective Course Faculty
Jennifer Cody Epstein
Jennifer Cody Epstein is a visiting writer at Stony Brook University and lecturer in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University. She's the author of four novels, including The Madwomen of Paris (2023), an Edgar Award finalist for Best Novel, and The Painter from Shanghai, a New York Times Editor's Choice pick translated into 17 languages. Her second novel, The Gods of Heavenly Punishment, centers on the Tokyo firebombing and was awarded the APALA Honor Award. Before fiction, she spent years as a journalist — including a stint as a Tokyo-based foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. A proud AKP alumna and former Amherst-Doshisha Fellow, Jennifer's time in Japan included working in a Nagano ski lodge and a brief but memorable stint in a Kyoto-based bluegrass band. She is an avid runner and sings with a Brooklyn-based choir.
Mary Alice Haddad
Mary Alice Haddad is the John E. Andrus Professor of Government at Wesleyan University. She studies city diplomacy, environmental politics, and civil society with a focus on East Asia. She is the author of Environmental Politics in East Asia (Cambridge, 2023), Effective Advocacy (MIT, 2021), Building Democracy in Japan (Cambridge, 2012), Politics and Volunteering in Japan (Cambridge, 2007). Her current research explores the ways that cities are working with each other across national boundaries to solve global problems.
Jennifer Hamilton
Jennifer A. Hamilton is a Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Bates College. A sociocultural anthropologist, her work is grounded in interdisciplinary approaches that bridge feminist science and technology studies, medical and legal anthropology, ethnography, and the politics of indigeneity. Her research examines how systems of knowledge—particularly in science, law, and medicine—intersect with colonial histories and Indigenous identities. Hamilton is the author of Indigeneity in the Courtroom (2009), a book that explores how Indigenous identity is constructed and contested within legal systems. She is also completing a second manuscript, Settler Science and the Politics of Indigeneity, which further investigates the relationships among scientific knowledge, settler colonialism, and Indigenous communities. Her scholarship reflects a sustained commitment to understanding how power operates through institutions and forms of expertise.
Hisae Kobayashi
Hisae Kobayashi is an Associated Teaching Professor of Japanese at Connecticut College and Chair of the East Asian Languages and Cultures department at Connecticut College. A specialist in language pedagogy, she teaches all levels of Japanese, from foundational courses to advanced courses. Her recent research, including a 2025 AATJ panel titled “Equity and Study Away: Fairness in the Third Space,” examines the specific challenges that LGBTQ+ students may encounter while studying abroad in Japan. Born in Tokyo and having lived in the US since 1992, Kobayashi is particularly excited to reside in Kyoto and share her bicultural perspective with the AKP community. For her, teaching is fueled by the thrill of discovery; she is dedicated to helping her students find their own “spark” – the joy of learning that opens new paths and possibilities. While serving as a Visiting Faculty Fellow at AKP for the spring 2027 term, she will be teaching “Japanese for Global Organizations” and looks forward to stepping back into the role of a student herself, with plans to study calligraphy and explore the unique cultural traditions of Kyoto.
Catherine Ludvik
Catherine Ludvik obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in the Centre for the Study of Religion and teaches Japanese religion, visual arts, culture, and history at the Stanford Program in Kyoto, Doshisha University, and Kyoto Sangyo University. Spanning Indian and Japanese religions and their visual arts, her research interests focus on the metamorphoses of originally Indian deities in texts, images, and rituals of Japan, as well as on ascetic practices and pilgrimage. She is the author of Recontextualizing the Praises of a Goddess (2006) and Sarasvatī, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge (2007), and is currently working on the goddess Uga-Benzaiten and the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage. She has taught Japanese religion and visual arts at AKP since 2002.
Ankeney Weitz
Ankeney Weitz, Ziskind Professor of East Asian Studies and Art at Colby College, is an art historian whose wide range of research interests include: visual culture of the Chinese Song and Yuan Dynasties, twentieth-century art of the Chinese diaspora, and fine arts education in post-Socialist PRC. She co-curated the first American retrospective exhibition of the work of Zao Wou-Ki, a prominent Chinese-French painter (No Limits: Zao Wou-Ki, Asia Society (New York City) and Colby College Museum of Art, 2016). She continues to publish work on Zao, while also returning to her earlier interests in Song dynasty painting. At Colby, Prof. Weitz offers courses on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art history, as well as a survey of early East Asian thought and its evolution into the modern world. Her favorite class to teach has always been “Zen and the Arts of East Asia”; her excitement about this course eventually drew her to join a meditation group. Inspired by her experiences there, she began integrating embodied practices (such as zazen) as learning opportunities into her courses. At Associated Kyoto Program, she will offer a version of this course focused on Japanese Zen and the many arts it inspired in Kyoto.