Akita International University

I studied at Akita International University, a small public university in the north of Japan where every class is taught in English. I started working in AI while I was a student there.

The inside of a round wooden library, with a timber roof like an open umbrella and shelves of books in a half circle — Inside the Nakajima Library. Photo: Mariwlqs, CC BY-SA 4.0

The university

It opened in 2004 in Yuwa, on the green edge of the city of Akita. People in Japan call it AIU.

ClassesAll in English
AbroadEvery student spends a year at a partner university
First yearEveryone lives on campus

The entrance of the campus: low buildings behind a lawn and trees — The entrance. Photo: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

A wooden building with a long row of windows, seen across a lawn — The library from outside. Photo: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Low student apartment buildings around a lawn — Student apartments. Photo: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

What I did there

While I was a student I began working in AI, as an engineer and project manager on generative AI projects. That work became my career, and later Algoboa.

What stayed

I work in Japanese and English, the two languages of the campus.

In February 2026 I went back to Akita to teach a hands-on course on generative AI.

University

NameAkita International University国際教養大学
Opened2004
PlaceAkita, Japan
Websiteweb.aiu.ac.jp