Hanami Festival 2026
Closed · May 9, 2026
Welcome
Connecting Japan and MIT.
JAM, the Japanese Association of MIT, introduces and promotes Japanese culture, fosters social connections and cultural exchange, and supports academic outreach rooted in Japanese perspectives.
See what is onExhibitions
A Japanese association at MIT since the 1900s.
Historically, JAM began as a community group for Japanese PhD students at MIT, a small community of roughly 20 people across the Institute. Today, its events welcome the broader MIT community.
JAM Constitution →Purpose
What JAM exists to do.
The mission below follows the JAM Constitution and keeps the organization centered on MIT, Japan, and exchange.
Culture
Introduce and promote Japanese culture to the MIT community.
Community
Foster social connections and cultural exchange among MIT graduate students, postdocs, and other community members.
Outreach
Facilitate academic outreach and collaboration rooted in Japanese perspectives within the MIT ecosystem.
JAM officers.
JAM Officers 2025-2026. These are the current officers organizing JAM programs, not the full jam-all community. Officer roles are open to MIT graduate students, postdocs, researchers, Harvard graduate students studying at MIT, and their families.
Officer interest →
Kakei Yamamoto
President
Toshiki Aoki
Vice President
Shungo Fukaya
Treasurer
Yurika Aonuki
Yuka Ikarashi
Takuya Isogawa
Shoki Kishida
Daishi Kiyohara
Kota Kondo
Keita Mori
Konatsu Mori
Ryotaro Okabe
Yugo Onishi
Tasuku Ono
Kye Shimizu
Graduate-led, MIT-centered.
The officer team is open to MIT graduate students, postdocs, researchers, Harvard graduate students studying at MIT, and their families. JAM is an Association of Student Activities (ASA)-recognized organization with its student governance home in the Graduate Student Council (GSC) of MIT.
Join the officer team →Events for everyone
JAM programs are organized by the officer team, while the events themselves are built for the broader MIT community.
Annual cultural programming
Recurring programs that can grow year by year, from Hanami to lecture-style events such as Beneath the Great Wave.
Basketball Club
About 30 members play street basketball most weekends, join MIT intramural play, and face Boston Japan Basketball Club several times a year.
Campus tour support
JAM helps support campus visits for Japanese high school students and other groups interested in seeing MIT from the inside.
Support
Partner with JAM.
Support is organized around individual events. Recent JAM programs have received support from MIT SGFC Funding, the MIT School of Quality of Life Grant Program, Taktopia, and GPI-US. Beneath the Great Wave is supported by the Consulate-General of Japan in Boston.
JAM welcomes new company and organization partners for cultural programs, lectures, student welcome events, and community activities.
- MIT SGFC Funding
- MIT School of Quality of Life Grant Program
- Taktopia
- GPI-US
- Consulate-General of Japan in Boston