I’m particularly interested in the Big 10 or Pac-12.
My daughter is also looking at this. So far USC, UCI, and UCSD seem to be the best options for her. Cal also has a Japanese program, and San Diego State does too.
I would think all the schools in those 2 conferences offer Japanese courses, if not majors.
As far as I know, there is no reliable ranking/assessment of undergraduate Asian Studies / Japanese programs. FWIW, the ones with the highest US News ranking are Stanford, Northwestern, Berkeley, USC, and Michigan. All 5 have strong undergraduate programs across the board. For Asian Studies / Japanese, also check out Washington, UCLA, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio State.
Is cost an issue? If so, what state do you live in? Are you a recruited athlete?
Most of the Big10/Pac12 are state universities, which tend to offer little or no financial aid to out-of-state students (unless you’re a recruited athlete). Stanford, Northwestern, and USC offer the best need-based aid regardless of state residency … if you can get in. They may or may not offer the lowest net prices (depending on your circumstances).
^ Washington is an excellent recommendation for Japanese language and Asian studies:
https://asian.washington.edu/fields/japanese
https://asian.washington.edu/japanese-undergraduate-major
https://jsis.washington.edu/japan/
https://jsis.washington.edu/japan/about/
https://jsis.washington.edu/about/
https://jsis.washington.edu/programs/undergraduate/
https://jsis.washington.edu/programs/undergraduate/japan-studies/
It’s not in those big athletic conferences, but Earlham is particularly known for its fine Japanese program.
This is the website for one of the best Japanese language schools in the world, which is run by the American and Canadian universities listed: http://www.iucjapan.org/html/organization_e.html. You can assume that these schools have some of the top Japanese language programs.
Among Pac 10 schools, Cal, Stanford, UCLA and UDub are all stellar in Japanese and Japanese studies. In the Big 10, Chicago (technically a member of the CIC, not the Big 10), Michigan and Wisconsin are also stellar in Japanese and Japanese studies.
Those universities will offer a wealth of resources and academic opportunities, like Michigan’s Center for Japanese Studies.
I took three years of Japanese at a little private school in San Francisco. I would think schools in areas with substantial Japanese populations would be desirable. That way you could go out into the community and practice. On the west coast, that would be Washington (Seattle), UC Berkeley/Stanford (SF Bay Area), and UCLA/USC (LA).
I know people who teach Japanese at Berkeley, and they brag (in their humble Japanese way,) that it’s the best East Asian Studies program in the country. San Francisco State also has a well-respected Japanese Studies program. I know nothing about Japanese programs among Big 10 schools.
While not Japanese language, I took a couple classes in Japanese literature at Stanford, and they were among the best classes I’ve ever taken, in any subject, anywhere.