- 5/22/2024
On May 18 (Sat), a cross-cultural study tour was held in Onomichi, Hiroshima. The purpose of this cross-cultural study tour was to allow international students to experience and deepen their understanding of Japanese culture and to deepen exchanges beyond nationalities. A total of 74 students participated in the study tour (24 international exchange students (France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Korea, Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) and 26 full-time international students (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, and Myanmar), as well as the international exchange circle “Ciao” and Japanese students who were language partners (*1) and speech partners (*2) of the exchange students.
During this study tour, groups of 5 to 6 students of different nationalities were formed, and while communicating with each other in Japanese and English, they experienced the designing and coloring Onomichi “hanpu” cloth (in the past, this “canvas-like” cloth was used to create sails for boats sailing the Seto Inland Sea). Later in the afternoon, they were divided into different groups for a walk around Onomichi city.
Participating international students commented, “I made friends with people from many different countries,” and “I enjoyed the trip so much that now I want to know more about Onomichi.” It was a meaningful day for all of them, as they enjoyed the culture and scenery of Onomichi while also promoting exchanges that extended beyond nationalities and languages.
1 Language partners...Volunteers for multilingual exchange
2 Speech Partners...Volunteers who support international students in campus speech contests.