What is TOKIHA?
Derived from the Japanese word “Tokihanatsu 解き放つ,” meaning “to release,” TOKIHA is an educational initiative that strives to spark self-discovery, inspire the pursuit of passions, and ultimately liberate the mind through peer dialogue and collaboration.
Starting from 2016, our experimental summer camps have since introduced unique opportunities to over 500 participants to empower themselves and their communities.
We aim to create impact not only through summer camps, but also through various projects that encourage people to both live in the present and make a valuable impact in the future.
Our Projects
TOKIHA Camps
How can we create a space to foster collaboration and introspection? In pursuit of answering this question, we hold camps in the peripheral areas of Japan. No two camps are the same. Every year, we reimagine the ideal summer camp with the chosen counselors from schools like UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Davis, UCLA, and so on.
News & updates
[2025 English Summer Camp in the beautiful nature of Japan — Kitakyushu] We're currently looking for friendly and enthusiastic individuals to join our team as international student staff for the 2025 TOKIHA Summer Camp.
Hello, our TOKI members!! I hope you are having great day
We decided to have “Virtual Reunion” for past campers and past counselors!!
Since we all weren’t able to go anywhere because of Covid this year, it’ll be great opportunity to share your updates with TOKIHA family!!
While COVID-19 prevented our team from traveling to Japan this summer to host our English summer camps, we did not sit idly and let our team’s efforts go to waste. After much brainstorming, we are proud to announce our virtual English summer camp initiative: TOKInect! Through this new online platform, we’ll be using familiar virtual resources such as YouTube and video calls in order to continue delivering thought-provoking content and connecting with the youth of Japan.
Click the heading to learn more!
Are you a motivated individual interested in collaboration and education? Looking for a space to share your passions and grow alongside like-minded individuals? Then we want YOU on our team to help create the next liberating summer camp experience in Japan!
[Applications Closed] Application Period: Thursday, September 19th - Saturday, October 19th, 11:59PM PST*
*Select schools may be eligible for an extended deadline. Feel free to email us to ask if your school qualifies (counselor@tokiha.org).
The Info Session for TOKIHA Summer Camp 2020 will be held on Thursday September 19th, 8pm-9pm in Wheeler Hall, Room 20.
Come learn more about the program, hear from past counselors, and have your questions answered!
Blog
Following up on the previous post is Livia, Mino & Kanon. We have asked the Directors and Sub-Directors of this year’s camps to look back on their previous experience with TOKIHA and share with us some of the valuable takeaways they have earned, as they look ahead on the 10th anniversary of TOKIHA’s camps since its birth. We hope to showcase to our audience how the staff and campers may liberate themselves through immersive collaborations in the brief moments we spend together in one summer…
Following up on the previous post is Rikako and Annika, our 2026 duo leading the operation. We have asked the Directors and Sub-Directors of this year’s camps to look back on their previous experience with TOKIHA and share with us some of the valuable takeaways they have earned, as they look ahead on the 10th anniversary of TOKIHA’s camps since its birth. We hope to showcase to our audience how the staff and campers may liberate themselves through immersive collaborations in the brief moments we spend together in one summer…
We have asked the Directors and Sub-Directors of this year’s camps to look back on their previous experience with TOKIHA and share with us some of the valuable takeaways they have earned, as they look ahead on the 10th anniversary of TOKIHA’s camps since its birth. We hope to showcase to our audience how the staff and campers may liberate themselves through immersive collaborations in the brief moments we spend together in one summer…
Alicia Zhang was a counselor for the summer 2019 and is currently the director for the camp in summer 2020. She has written out her thoughts on the 6-month experience from developing workshops during the Spring semester to running them in August. She is currently a second year undergraduate at UC Berkeley where she studies Economics.
This 2019 summer, TOKIHA is running 3 camps throughout Japan. Our directors put heart, dedication and passion into making sure everything is running and ready for our summer camp experience.
This year we have an amazing duo of directors: Momo and Matthew-who are full of kindness, authenticity and drive.
This 2019 summer, TOKIHA is running 3 camps throughout Japan. Our directors put heart, dedication and passion into making sure everything is running and ready for our summer camp experience.
This year we have an amazing duo of directors: Momo and Matthew-who are full of kindness, authenticity and drive.
In the aim to better connect with our past campers, we have recently launched the new “SDGs Research Project.” An America-side counselor and a Japan-side camper remotely pair up to complete research on a topic chosen from the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and eventually publish an online article. Through the process, our camper will gain a broader view of social issues, nurture a consistent awareness and problem-solving mindset, and, of course, improve English writing & speaking skills. We hope you enjoy our first publication by Ayako Takao, a camper from 2018 Mito Camp and Matthew Ho, UC Davis graduate, which they’ve been working on for the last 3 months.
Sharing the Ordinary: A deeper look into the everyday lives of TOKIHA counselors. Whether it’s art, leadership, music, engineering or finding a great new book, their creative and intellectual pursuits allow our counselors to bring a unique and creative skill set to camp.
What brings you happiness? What motivates your passion? How do you express yourself? These are questions that inspired this series, and we encourage you to redefine your definition of “ordinary” and reflect on how you can change your perspective about the little things in life that bring you joy.
Sharing the Ordinary: A deeper look into the everyday lives of TOKIHA counselors. Whether it’s art, leadership, music, engineering or finding a great new book, their creative and intellectual pursuits allow our counselors to bring a unique and creative skill set to camp.
What brings you happiness? What motivates your passion? How do you express yourself? These are questions that inspired this series, and we encourage you to redefine your definition of “ordinary” and reflect on how you can change your perspective about the little things in life that bring you joy.
“Between the 23 of us, like DNA, we made a special creation unique and unlike anything before us. This living bubble of human expression, laughter, and learning that existed for six-days on end was what we called TOKIHA 2018.”
