From Nov. 22nd until Nov. 24th, a group of 12 teachers and students from National Chiayi University in Taiwan came to Japan to participate in a collaboration workshop implemented by the partnership between Kagawa University and National Chiayi University. The group, led by Professor Jyh-Chyuan Ding and Professor Kuo-Hung Huang, paid visit to some of the institutions attached to the Faculty of Education, including Takamatsu Elementary School and Takamatsu Kindergarten. They also had a chance to visit the private school, Kobushi Hanazono Nursery School. The group had the opportunity to observe some methods of teaching early childhood education in Japan while visiting the schools.
After spending time at the educational institutions, the group from National Chiayi University participated in a meeting with the Faculty of Education, which included an introduction from the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Mouri Takeshi. During the meeting, through the chairmanship of the Head of the International Committee, Professor Toru Terao, both parties were able to discuss improvements for future exchange programs as well as the possibility of further research collaborations between the two universities.
During the month of July and the beginning of August, eight students from Chiang Mai University (CMU) in Thailand and one student from the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) in New Zealand traveled to Kagawa University to study Japanese language and culture through the short-term International Exchange Program.
The international students (accompanied by CMU Assistant Professor Wichian Sunitham) attended many classes and activities to improve their Japanese language abilities, and also participated in English classes to assist in group learning with students of Kagawa University. The program also enabled the students to travel to many areas around Kagawa to learn about the history and society of the region. Some of these fieldwork experiences included trips to Awashima, Ogijima, Konpira, Teshima, and even a trip to Hiroshima to visit Peace Park and the Peace Memorial Museum. In addition to the fieldwork, students participated in many cultural events, like a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony and volunteering at the Yashima Matsuri Festival.
Seven students from Colorado State University (CSU) in the United States had the opportunity to travel to Kagawa University in June of 2015 to study Japanese language and culture for a period of a little over a month. The program was part of an International Exchange Agreement between Kagawa University and CSU which enables students from each university to travel to the other as short-term study abroad programs every year.
During this year’s International Exchange Program, the students from CSU (accompanied by CSU Senior Japanese Teaching Instructor, Masako Beecken) participated in academic courses geared toward improving their Japanese language ability and deepening their understanding of Japanese society and culture. Outside of the classroom, the students engaged in many traditional Japanese cultural experiences, such as participating in a Japanese tea ceremony and trying on traditional kimono outfits. Also, the students had the opportunity to travel to many destinations around Takamatsu to experience both society and art, including Shodoshima, Naoshima, the Kagawa Prefectural Museum, Elementary schools attached to the Faculty of Education, and many of the temples and shrines within Kagawa Prefecture.