Tokyo Ceremony Details

Ceremony Location

For students located in mainland Japan, this year's Tokyo ceremony and reception will be held at the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo, Japan at 11:00 AM on April 6th, 2024. Please use the unique link sent to you via email to RSVP for the ceremony and to make hotel reservations at the New Sanno Hotel (see below). If you haven't received your link by March 1, 2024, email commencement-asia@umgc.edu.

Entering the New Sanno Hotel—Non-SOFA Graduates and Non-SOFA Guests

The New Sanno Hotel is a U.S. military installation and has special requirements for non-SOFA graduates and guests to enter the hotel. If you or any of your guests are non-SOFA, please forward the following information before March 1, 2024 for each person planning to attend to commencement-asia@umgc.edu: Sponsor (Graduate) Name, Guest Last Name; First Name; Nationality; Gender; Age (if guest is a child), and any accessibility accommodations that may be needed. For ceremony attendees who are designated Third-Country Nationals, please also complete this Designated Country Access Pass Entry Request Form. The form and required documentation must be submitted to commencement-asia@umgc.edu no later than March 1, 2024. Note that all non-SOFA attendees must present a passport, Japanese driver’s license, or other government-issued picture ID at the gate in order to gain entry to the commencement venue.

Guests

Commencement guests are limited to 4 guests per graduate; please contact us if you'd like to bring more than four guests. Children are welcome at the ceremony but to maintain the formal atmosphere, we will provide a separate space in another room for restless children.

Regalia and Invitations

You must order your commencement regalia (cap and gown) through Oak Hall no later than March 9 to allow time for shipping. No regalia will be available for rental or purchase on the day of the event. Shipping to an APO/FPO address is considered domestic shipping (not international, even if the location is outside of the USA).

If you would like to order commencement invitations, you can order official UMGC Asia invitations at: https://www.cbgrad.com/. When you enter the ordering portal, select "state," "school," and “month” of ceremony to get started. Please choose "Maryland" as the state, "University of Maryland Global Campus Asia" as the school and "April" as the month of the ceremony. Then click on "Get Started."

Dress Code

All graduates are required to wear regalia (graduation cap and gown) to commencement. We encourage you to wear appropriate business casual attire under your gown. We recommend comfortable shoes because there will be prolonged periods of standing and walking throughout the day. Guests are not permitted to accompany graduates to the robing area. Note that graduates are not permitted to have any items —purses, cameras, cell phones, etc.— in their hands when they line-up and the graduation gowns do not have pockets. Please leave all items with your guest or in your car or room.

Schedule of Events

The Schedule of Events for the day of commencement is as follows:

• 7:30am – 9:30am Commencement Portraits (optional, requires fee)
  • Portraits Order Form
    
• 7:30am – 9:30am Student Check-in and Line-up
• 9:30am – 10:30am Pre-processional & Rehearsal
• 10:30am – 11:00am Guest Seating
• 11:00am Processional Begins
• 1:00pm – 3:00pm Post-Commencement Reception

See Tokyo Commencement Schedule PDF for additional details.

Lodging

UMGC-Asia has reserved a block of rooms for a two-night stay at the New Sanno Hotel for SOFA status graduates and their guests. If you'd like to request a room at the New Sanno Hotel, please use the graduation RSVP link sent to you via email to request a room. If you have not received an e-mail about graduation RSVP by February 15, 2024, contact the Commencement Team. Please do not contact the New Sanno Hotel directly because UMGC has already blocked rooms for graduates. For information on alternative lodging options near where the ceremony will take place, please see the following Google Map link: https://goo.gl/maps/m4GhAAHPQbx.

Parking

The New Sanno has limited parking space. Non-SOFA graduates and guests will not be able to park at the installation.

Bus transportation from Yokota AFB to New Sanno Hotel

UMGC will provide two buses to and from the New Sanno from Yokota:

Bus 1: Depart Kanto Lodge at 0630 - primarily reserved for staff and graduates.  

Bus 2: Depart Kanto Lodge at 0730 - primarily reserved for faculty, graduates' guests, and UMGC invited guests

Buses will return to Yokota leaving the New Sanno at 1500 and 1600.  There is no cost.

If you have any questions regarding the Tokyo Commencement Ceremony, or the other UMGC Asia Commencements (Okinawa, Guam, or Korea), please e-mail our commencement team.