Faculty and Staff Directory

Ikuko Rakow

Japanese Program Chair

Contact Information

650.949.7043

Enter your office building, room

(I'm currently teaching fully online and I can't answer my phone. Please e-mail me instead.)

Foothill campus
Office: Online only
Office Hours:
Fully online.

Comments:

Dear Prospective Students,

If you have never taken Japanese courses at Foothill, please be aware that we have a computer blocking system in place. In order to enroll in JAPN 2 or higher, you need to satisfy the prerequisite first. In general, one year of high school language is equal to one quarter of College level Japanese. For example: if you took Japanese 1 & 2 in high school, you can continue with Japanese 3 at Foothill. You still need to have your ID number unblocked for registration, so please send me e-mail (rakowikuko@foothill.edu) for clearance well before your registration period starts. Our courses tend to fill up quickly.

If you are a heritage student who grew up in a household where Japanese was spoken, or if you have studied Japanese using any other methods, please contact me (rakowikuko@foothill.edu) before your registration period starts. You need to be placed at a proper level and have your ID unblocked.

You can find your registration start date on the Registration Dates & Deadlines on the Foothill Academic Calendar: Academic Calendar

Here are our Japanese Program's typical course offerings:

Fall Quarter: JAPN 1, JAPN 2, JAPN 4, JAPN 13A, JAPN 14B. (JAPN 4 is only offered once a year in Fall.)
Winter Quarter: JAPN 1, JAPN 2, JAPN 3, JAPN 5, JAPN 13B, JAPN 14B. (JAPN 5 is only offered once a year in Winter.)
Spring Quarter: JAPN 1, JAPN 2, JAPN 3, JAPN 6, JAPN 14A, JAPN 14B. (JAPN 6 is only offered once a year in Spring.)
Summer Session: JAPN 1, JAPN 3. (Please be aware that our Summer JAPN 1 & JAPN 3 are 6-week intensive courses, instead of our regular 12-week sessions.)

Ikuko Tomita Rakow's Teaching Schedule:

Fall Quarter: JAPN 1, JAPN 2, JAPN 4. (JAPN 4 is only offered once a year in Fall.)
Winter Quarter: JAPN 2, JAPN 3, JAPN 5. (JAPN 5 is only offered once a year in Winter.)
Spring Quarter: JAPN 2, JAPN 3, JAPN 6. (JAPN 6 is only offered once a year in Spring.)

Looking forward to having you in our Japanese classes!

Best Regards,

Ikuko Tomita, Ph.D.

My Course Schedule:

Fully Asynchronous Online.

Zoom Tutoring Hours:

Free Individual & Group Tutoring sessions with our native Japanese tutors are available for all the students enrolled in our JAPN course. Each tutor's schedule will be updated quarterly, and undated schedules will be sent directly via Canvas Inbox to the students enrolled in our JAPN courses.

Japanese Culture Center (JCC, Room 6601) Open Hours:

Will be updated for Spring 2026.

Japanese Culture Center Events:

"The Way of Tea: Japanese Tea Ceremony Demonstration": Tea masters from Urasenke School will come and demonstrate the Way of Tea at our authentic Japanese Chashitsu (Tearoom). Green tea & Japanese sweets will be served. Date: TBA in Spring 2026
(Schedule of all the events will be updated for Spring 2026.)

Winter 2026 Japanese Cultural Center Open House

Please join us Wednesday, March 18 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. to visit our Foothill College historic Japanese Cultural Center in Room 6601, located near the bamboo gardens. Light refreshments will be provided.
Learn more about our Japanese Culture Center here.

Japan-Related Clubs at Foothill College:

Japanese Culture Club
Anime Club

Biography:

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

PhD, Hispanic Languages and Literatures. University of California, Santa Barbara.
MA, Romance Languages and Literatures. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, Japan.
BA, Spanish Language and Literature. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, Japan.

CURRENT ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT:

Japanese Program Chair, Language Arts Division, Foothill College

FORMER ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT:

Acting Director of the Language Program, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego.
Lecturer of Japanese, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego.