- 6/25/2025
On Friday, June 20, the Second Cross-Cultural Exchange Festa was held. The theme of this event was “Wianki,” a Polish summer flower crown festival.
“Wianki” is held in Poland around the end of June to celebrate summer, and women make flower crowns to wear on their heads.
In preparation for this event, Short-Term Exchange Program (STEP) students from Poland and Japanese students worked together for about a month to create vases to decorate the tables.
Additionally, by special request, Polish traditional dishes were served at the student cafeteria for two weeks, resulting in many students experiencing Polish food culture for the first time.
At the event, four STEP students from Poland first gave a presentation on the history and culture of Poland, focusing on “Wianki.”
The Japanese students were interested in learning about Polish festivals and culture for the first time.
Japanese students gave a presentation on Japan's “Hina Matsuri (Doll’s Festival).” Both international and Japanese students had the opportunity to learn about each other's cultures and traditions.
They made hair ornaments using artificial flowers together and enjoyed tea-time with Polish cookies and candies that STEP students from Poland brought from their hometown.
As a conclusion to the event, Paulina volunteered to sing the song “Wianki” to the audience.
Through this event, Japanese students were inspired to develop an interest in overseas cultures and different cultures. We hope that more students will participate in such international exchange events in the future and broaden their horizons.