Faculty & Staff
US Office
Erik Lofgren
Chair
Associate Professor Erik Lofgren is returning to the role of Chair of AKP after a four-year stint in 2014–18. As Chair, he is responsible for the overall administration of the program. He has also served as Resident Director of the program twice and taughtas 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, Godzilla, and produces translations of poetry. He is the author of numerous articles and poetry translations, as well as a forthcoming book of translations of haiku by Natsume Sōseki.
Arlynne Criste
Program Administrator
Since 2019, Arlynne Criste has overseen all aspects of the US Office’s day-to-day operations, which includes application management, student advising and support during pre-departure and re-entry, student recruitment, website maintenance, and engagement with home institution partners. She earned an M.A. in International Training and Education from American University and a B.A. in both Writing Seminars and East Asian Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining AKP, she worked at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, and NAFSA: Association for International Educators. She has studied abroad in Japan twice: on a summer homestay experience in high school and on a year-long exchange at the University of Tokyo in college.
2024–2025 Resident Director
Noboru Tomonari
友成昇
Noboru Tomonari is a Class of 1952 Professor at Carleton College who specializes in autobiographies, minority studies, and popular culture studies. He published a monograph on modern Japanese autobiographies: Constructing Subjectivities: Autobiographies in Modern Japan (Lexington Books, 2008). He has also been working on subgenres of Japanese cinema, such as stop-motion puppet animation. His chapter on the films by Kawamoto Kihachirō appeared in The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Cinema (Routledge, 2021). He earned his PhD in Japanese Studies from the University of Chicago in 2001. He has been since teaching Japanese language, literature, popular culture classes at Carleton’s Department of Asian Languages and Literatures. Professor Tomonari served as the Chair of the Department of Asian Languages and Literatures and also as the Director of East Asian Studies at Carleton. Outside Carleton, he chaired the Midwest Japan Seminar (2011-15). His hobbies are participating in long-distance triathlon races and running full-marathons.
友成昇はカールトン大学アジア言語文学科にて2001年から教え始め、現在は同大学Class of 1952 Endowed Chair教授。専門は近現代日本の自伝、マイノリティー、大衆文化。Constructing Subjectivities: Autobiographies in Modern Japan (主体の構築～近現代日本の自伝2008)を出版。同書は、日本人による近現代の自伝を、社会変化の一環として分析している。他には川本喜八郎監督の人形アニメについての論文がThe Routledge Handbook of Japanese Cinema（2021)所収。カールトンでは日本語、英語による日本文学、日本映画、漫画などの大衆文化についてのクラスを担当。大学外ではMidwest Japan Seminar Chair アメリカ中西部日本研究会代表を務める。彼は浜松出身で、シカゴ大学の東アジア言語文明科で博士号を取得。彼の趣味は、長距離トライアスロン、フルマラソン完走。
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。
Keiko Kawakami
川上圭子
Academic and Event Coordinator
アカデミック・イベントコーディネーター
As the Academic and Event Coordinator, Keiko Kawakami has been responsible for AKP academic matters and all facets of AKP events 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月よりアカデミック・イベント業務を担当している。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。
Kyoko Kimura
木村恭子
Homestay and Housing Coordinator
ホームステイ・ハウジングコーディネーター
As Homestay and Housing Coordinator, Kyoko Kimura has been responsible for homestay and host family-related affairs since July 2022. She was born and raised in the Kansai region and is now a resident of Shiga. Before coming to AKP, she worked for many years at several universities as an administrator supporting international researchers and students. She is a big foodie and especially loves Japanese sweets.
2022年7月よりホームステイ及びホストファミリー関係業務を担当している。生まれも育ちも関西で現在は滋賀在住。大学職員として様々な大学で外国人研究員及び学生のサポート業務に従事。かなりの食通で、特に和菓子が好き。
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。
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。
Yoshiko Kishi
貴志佳子
Yoshiko Kishi has been with AKP as a Japanese language instructor since Fall 2023. Since receiving her M.A. from New York University, she has been engaged in Japanese language education at North American universities for more than twenty years. She has also spent fifteen years teaching Japanese to college students studying abroad at summer programs in Japan. She strives to cultivate proficiency in Japanese language learners and aims to create a learning environment in which students can understand and connect with others through their study of Japanese. Through her involvement in Japanese language education, she hopes to continue to gain insight into how people learn.
2023年の秋学期に日本語教員としてAKPに加わる。ニューヨーク大学で修士号を取得後これまで20年以上、北米の大学で日本語教育に従事し、日本でも15年間、留学生を対象とした大学の夏季プログラムで日本語の授業を担当。日本語学習者のプロフィシエンシーの育成に努めている。今は日本語の学びを通じて他者を理解し、人とつながっていく、そんな学びの場を作ることを目指している。そして、日本語教育に携わる中で、人はどのように学ぶのかということを学び続けたいと思っている。
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。
2024–2025 Elective Course Faculty
Elizabeth Armstrong
Elizabeth Armstrong (Fall 2024 Visiting Faculty Fellow) is a Professor of Japanese Language in the East Asian Studies Department at Bucknell University where she has taught Japanese language and Translation Studies since 1999. She has worked as a staff interpreter in Japan and a free-lance translator and interpreter in the United States. She has published two translations of works by Terayama Shūji: The Crimson Thread of Abandon (2014), and When I Was a Wolf (2018), and her third translation and fourth are currently under review.
Peter Flueckiger
Peter Flueckiger (Fall 2024 Visiting Faculty Fellow) is Professor of Japanese at Pomona College, where he teaches courses in Japanese language, literature, and philosophy. He was previously a VFF in Spring 2017 and served as Chair of AKP from 2018 to 2024. He received his Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University and conducts research in Tokugawa-period Confucianism and nativism. He is the author of Imagining Harmony: Poetry, Empathy, and Community in Mid-Tokugawa Confucianism and Nativism (Stanford UP, 2011), as well as numerous articles, book chapters, and translations.
Cornelius Kubler
Cornelius C. Kubler (Spring 2025 Visiting Faculty Fellow) is Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies at Williams College and concurrently Adjunct University Chair Professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. At Williams, he teaches courses in Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and East Asian linguistics. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in linguistics from Cornell University and earned a second M.A. in Chinese literature from National Taiwan University. He has taught Chinese languages and linguistics for 34 years at Williams and before that was employed with the U.S. Department of State for 11 years, mostly in East Asia. He has also served as visiting professor at numerous institutions including Nanjing University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Tsing Hua University, and Chinese University of Hong Kong. Kubler has been active in Chinese language test development and has published numerous books and articles on East Asian language pedagogy and linguistics.
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.
Paul Luongo
Paul Luongo (Spring 2025 Visiting Faculty Fellow) is an Associate Professor of Music and Paul Garrett Fellow at Whitman College. Active within this community, Luongo previously directed the Walla Walla Symphony Youth Orchestra and is the principal guest conductor of the Walla Walla Symphony. In the greater Washington region, Luongo serves as an orchestra clinician and adjudicator. He is active in the Washington Music Educators Association having conducted the Whitman Orchestra at the WMEA State Conference (2018) as well as the Jr. All-State Orchestra(2019). Under his direction, the Whitman Orchestra also performed as a featured ensemble at the College Orchestra Directors Association National Conference (2019). Luongo received his undergraduate education at Stetson University. At Florida State, he received advanced degrees in orchestral conducting and musicology. Dr. Luongo’s primary scholarly interests consider music in film and the development of the American orchestra in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He has revived select orchestral arrangements by Chicago Symphony Orchestra founder Theodore Thomas for publication by A-R Editions in their Recent Researches in American Music and Special Publications series.
Mahon Murphy
Mahon Murphy is an associate professor at the Faculty of Law, Kyoto University, where he teaches courses on Japanese popular culture and international history. He obtained his Ph.D. in history from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2015. His thesis focused on the internment of German prisoners of war and civilian internees in the extra-European theatres of the First World War including Japan, which was also the subject of his first monograph. His main research focus is in looking at the cultural impact of the First World War on regions outside Europe. He is also currently working on the history of punk music in Kyoto and Kansai. He has recently completed a monograph (co-authored with Ran Zwigenberg) which discusses the development of hardcore punk in Kansai through a focus on the band S.O.B. and their 1987 album Don’t Be Swindle (Bloomsbury, forthcoming).