The University of Tokyo, Hato Laboratory > Seminars > 2026 > Behavior Modeling Summer School 2026
Program
Overview
The Behavior Modeling Summer School is intended for graduate students, early-career researchers,
engineers, and policymakers from across Japan who specialize in civil engineering, architecture,
and urban studies. The program is designed to provide participants with both foundational and
advanced knowledge of discrete choice models used in urban and transportation planning. Now in
its 25th year, this residential seminar attracts approximately 100 participants annually from
universities throughout Japan and from overseas institutions, including the Indian Institutes
of Technology.
Building on lectures about behavior models and flow models that form the basis of choice theory
on transportation networks, participants work in teams on a programming study using
smartphone-based Probe Person data. The program introduces the role and practical application
of demand forecasting for location choice, destination choice, route choice, travel mode choice,
and other topics in urban, transportation, and civil engineering planning. Participants also
learn about current applications to road-space reallocation, tourism, city-center revitalization,
and marketing, as well as recent developments in behavioral surveys and data-platform methods,
including Probe Person surveys. Under the guidance of leading researchers, participants complete
exercises in urban transportation policy and present their team results. Research presentations
by early-career researchers further provide opportunities to learn everything from the foundations
of probabilistic decision-making models to practical parameter-estimation methods and concrete
approaches to simulation studies in transportation planning.
The school is scheduled for September 7–9, 2026, and will be held in a hybrid format at Faculty
of Engineering Building 1 on the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus and online. We look forward
to welcoming you.
Lecturers
Application
To participate in the exercises, please register using the form below.
Behavior Modeling Summer School 2026 Exercise Participation Application Form
To attend the lectures only, please register using the form below. Applications for exercise participation are now closed.
Behavior Modeling Summer School 2026 Lecture-Only Participation Application Form
Previous Behavior Modeling Summer Schools
Summaries of previous schools are available below for reference.
25th school (September 22–24, 2025)
24th school (September 11–13, 2024)
22nd school (September 18–20, 2023)
21st school (September 23–25, 2022)
20th school (September 15–19, 2021)
Dates and Venue
Dates: September 7–9, 2026
Format: In person at Faculty of Engineering Building 1, the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus, and online
Schedule
Minor adjustments to the timetable, including the placement of breaks, may be made.
Day 1 (Monday, September 7) — Statistics and Applications of the Behavioral Model (conducted in Japanese)
Day 2 (Tuesday, September 8) — Overview and Development of the Behavioral Model (conducted in English)
Day 3 (Wednesday, September 9) — Model Programming Contest and Evaluation
Accommodation
The following accommodations are recommended. Other accommodations are also available in the Hongo area, so please make your own reservation as appropriate.
■ Forest Hongo
(discounts are available for both faculty members and students; 3-minute walk)
■ Taieikan Ryokan
(4-minute walk)
■ Homeikan
(5-minute walk)
■ Hotel Kizankan
(8-minute walk)
■
Toyoko Inn Korakuen Bunkyo Kuyakusho-mae
(11-minute walk)
Venue Information
Access to the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus
The campus is approximately a 10-minute walk from Hongo-sanchome Station on the Marunouchi Line or Todaimae Station on the Namboku Line.
On Campus
Please come to Faculty of Engineering Building 1.
Contact
For inquiries, please contact bmss at bin.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp (replace “at” with “@”).
