Eleven students of the University of Shimane got together to brainstorm ways to promote Japanese culture to the United States. Eight students from Hamada Campus and three students from Izumo campus met at a historical mansion in Gotsu City on September 29 and 30.
They studied Japanese music and dance called kagura, one of local cultures, from specialists of the tradition.
Russia is the biggest country in the world. It consists of 85 subjects called areas, republics and regions. I would like to tell you about one of them: Kazan, which I was lucky to visit several months ago.
Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The city was founded on the bank of the Volga River in 1005. Today, it is one of the biggest cultural, religious and sports centers of Russai.
If you ever decide to visit this place, don’t miss the chance of visiting the Kazan Kremlin, which is the oldest construction in the city. There are a lot of towers and historical monuments on the territory of the Kremlin. But my favorite sight in Kazan is the Kul Sharif Mosque. It is the most beautiful building that I have ever seen!
Another must-see in Kazan is the Temple of All Religions. Unfortunately, you can’t get inside on weekdays. It is open for visitors only on Sundays. But don’t be sorry if you can go there only on weekdays. Enjoy the beauty of the facade. I will impress you, too.
Also Kazan is a sport cit. A lot of international sports events, such as the 2014 World Fencing Championships, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and many other took place there.
Now Kazan is getting ready to be the host for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
If you would like to relax, go to the Millennium Park. It is a perfect place to escape the city rush and to listen to the sounds of nature. Townspeople and tourists enjoy the trancuility of this peaceful place.
By Daria Gorbacheva
Ural State Pedagogical University
Photograph by exlex via Wikimedia Commons
These days, a high school diploma does not the end people’s education, as more and more people choose to enroll at Universities across the globe. But surviving on campus is becoming increasingly difficult to university students. To understand these difficulties we conducted a survey to see how students feel about their school life. Many classmates say that is so boring, because they have plenty of time but do not know what to do. However, from my point of view, the campus life in university is interesting and can be colorful as long as you make it meaningful. After starting my course roughly one year ago I was surprised to find the vast differences between high school and university. For example, in high school, we always rely on parents and teachers to solve all the problems, but in university, we have to rely on ourselves. More importantly, we must also learn how to do deal with our classmates and roommates. The four years we will spend at university is very important, but it is also very short, so here is some of my advice on how to make the most of your time at University.
The first is to become familiar with all the main buildings on the campus. Students should spend one to two hours on a campus walk, and become familiar with the local library, canteen, post office, classrooms and other important places like the hospital. Next, try to become self-reliant. Learn to make your own decisions, to arrange how to use our time, how to plan your expenses and so on, but also learn to wash your own clothes. Furthermore, develop good study habits through the exchange of student ideas and learn from each other. Finally, students should actively participate in various activities and let themselves be lively, outgoing, and friendly with classmates. All of these factors will make lead to personal growth and make your time at University a bit more bearable. Treasure your college years. Make the best of your free time, become an independent thinker, evolve yourself into a multicultural talent, be bold to experiment, learn and grow through your successes and challenges. Only then will you be able claim that you have made the most of your time at University. After all, we can only be students once.
You Ying, University of Ulsan
A short distance away from the Korean peninsula is one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Korea. Jeju Island is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and is renowned for its green open fields and endless blue seas as well it’s “refreshing” powers it bestows on anyone who visits it.
Three of the biggest reasons among many on why you should visit Jeju Island include the following.
First, the natural view of the island is truly beautiful. Jeju-Island has many beaches, but ‘Woel-Jeong Ri beach’ which locates in the northern part of the island is highly recommended. When you first arrive at the beach, you will see colorful benches and a “big stone grandpa” which are famous photo zones located at this beach. At night, the ocean glimmers due to the reflection of the moonlight. You may have been to many beaches before, but many people would agree that this beach is the most beautiful and memorable beach they have ever visited.
Second, there are many delicious foods to eat. Jeju-Island is famous for its fresh seafood and black pork meat. You can eat raw fish at very cheap price in Jeju in the islands eastern market. But the food that comes with my highest recommendation is “Cheonhyehyang”. It is a kind of mandarin like fruit, only much bigger and sweeter. If you taste it once, you will be hooked and will wish that you can eat it again and again.
Third, you can enjoy a lot of activities on the island. This includes horseback riding, hang gliding, and snorkeling. The most joyful thing for me personally about Jeju-Island was solving a maze made with trees and stones. You can race with your friends or family to see who can finish the maze first. Although it may sound easy, it definitely is not that simple and some might even find difficult. However, it comes really recommended that you try it at least once, since it really is loads of fun.
Given these and many other noteworthy reasons, it is thus no surprise why so many people buy a ticket to Jeju-Island when they feel tired or frustrated. Should you ever buy a ticket or spending your money or time traveling to this wonderful island in future I know that you will not regret it.
By Kim Ju Mi, University of Ulsan
Two years ago, my parents dropped me off at the dorm of the University of Shimane in April. As I watched their car driven off, I felt really sad. My new life so far has been not easy, but my college life experiences helped me grow a lot.
First, I realized the difficulty of housework. I learned how hard it was to do housework because I live in an apartment alone. It took a long time to go shopping, doing laundry, and clean my apartment room. I am very grateful for my family.
Second, I learned how to cook. I had not cooked very much when I lived with my parents. My mother always cooked meals for everyone. But I now cook meals all by myself. My cooking skills improved a lot and I can cook many dishes now.
Third, I grew up to have a strong sense of responsibility. I can manage my life better. For example, I wake up by myself in the morning, because no one wakes me up. Also, I learned to fill out important documents like pension forms or tax forms, which I have never done before.
By Yurina Kuno
My friends and I had an opportunity to share ideas with American students in Hiroshima on Saturday, May 20, 2018. We had fun with students from East Carolina University, but this experience was shocking, too, because I realized how ignorant I am about Japanese history and culture.
While we stroll around Hiroshima Peace Park, I was asked many times by the American students like that “Have you been there before?” or “What do you know about Hiroshima?” I had thought I knew about Hiroshima but I was not able to explain my knowledge well because my understanding about Hiroshima was very superficial.
We took a ferry and arrived at Miyajima in the afternoon. American students and I went looked around souvenir shops, and there were many cat figures which are called manekineko, meaning “welcoming cat.” I wanted to explained the meaning of the welcoming cat, but I was not able to talk about it sufficiently.
Then we entered the main building of Itsukushiam Shrine, and I only washed my hands, when an American student pointed out that I was supposed to purify myself by cleansing my mouth. I was very ashamed of my ignorance.
During the short exchanges of the American students I learned being raised in Japan does not mean I know Japanese culture explicitly. I felt I need to make effort to understand Japanese culture so that I could explain Japanese culture to people abroad.
Mutsumi Higashio (University of Shimane)
Missing Sound of Police Car?
Shimane students and American students from East Carolina University exchanged differences of cultures while walking around Hiroshima and Miyajima on May 20. What impressed me the most was differences of cultures of the two countries.
I chatted with Remi and Tina from East Carolina University about their experiences in Japan. They said Japanese cities were really quiet, and to my surprise, they miss the siren of the American police cars. According to them their city, Greenville, North Carolina, is noisy because they hear police sirens almost every day.
Remi and Tina also said high school life is very different. American high school students do not have uniforms. They can color their hair. They can wear piercing. Tina had a pierce on her nose. Tina said, “American high scool students are crazy.” I was very intrigued.
Exchanging ideas about our cultures was so much fun.
At the end of the day, Remi introduced me to one of her friends, saying, “This is Ako. She is my best friend today.” I felt warm in my heart. We said good bye to each other at a JR station, hugging each other. The meeting with ECU students at Hiroshima and Miyajima was a wonderful experience for me.
By Ako Miyama (University of Shimane)
Thirteen American students and 12 Japanese students enjoyed walking around Hiroshima on May 20, 2018, deepening friendship between United States and Japan.
The students are from East Carolina University, Hiroshima University and University of Shimane.
The cross-cultural exchange is part of a study tour of East Carolina University, led by Professor John Tucker, who organized the tour to provide his students the opportunity to study Japanese history and culture in Japan.
Since the ECU students had studied Japanese culture before embarking on this trip, they had known good transportation and small living quarters already, but some aspects of Japanese life were new to them.
Diamond, who majors in Anthropology at ECU, said that she noticed differences of behavior of people in shrines. She was surprised at Japanese people seemed nonchalant about the tourists taking pictures at shrines. For her shrines are a sacred place of worship and visitors should pay respect to the people who pray and worship.
Diamond also found Japanese students looked happier and content with their college life, while college life in the United States is stressful with a lot of term papers and exams.
Kazuki, freshman of the University of Shimane, took this opportunity to practice his English. He has prepared for this meeting by doing research about Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and effects of the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima. He was greatly impressed with the attitude of the ECU students who were eager to learn about Hiroshima, which further inspired him to study more about the perspectives of Americans toward the atomic bomb.
John Tucker, a professor in the Department of History at ECU, has coordinated the program many years. He said that while students can learn materials from books and lectures, experiences is one of the most valuable forms of education for young students. He coordinates field trips as well as videoconferencing for his students to get first hand knowledge from real people.
East Carolina University and the University of Shimane provides their students real time virtual meetings via videoconferencing, and the friendship were further deepened by this face to face meeting in Hiroshima.
The students gathered at A-Bomb Dome at 9:00 and introduced themselves each other. They strolled around the Children’s Peace Monument, Peace Bell, Memorial Cenotaph, taking photos and chatting each other. Then they moved to JR Miyajima Station and got on a ferry boat for Miyajima Island. They were greeted by deer and the enormous red torii gate. The tide was high and they were not able to get near the gate. They went through the shopping street, biting street foods, and worshipped at the shrine. At 16:30, they all hopped on a ferry back to the mainland. They said good bye to each other around 17:00.
By Mariko Eguchi (University of Shimane)
