Nikkensei (Japanese Studies Students) Program 2017 held for Russian Students

At Mount Tsukuba Shrine

The Nikkensei (Japanese Studies Students) Program 2017 targeted for Russian university students was held from December 6 to 13, under the auspices of the Global Education Program for Developing Multilingual Human Resources in Japan, NIS and Baltic Countries (Ge-NIS).

Six partner universities of the University of Tsukuba and Tuva State University in Russia that has received our students as part of a study abroad program participated in the program. A total of 14 students and staff who are specializing or majoring in Japanese language education got invited for the program. The program aimed to help the participants acquire knowledge and skills to be good communicators of Japanese language and culture. Here are the universities participated in the Nikkensei Program 2017.

Universities participating in the program

- Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University, Institute of Asian and African Studies (Moscow)
- Moscow City Teachers' Training University (Moscow)
- Saint Petersburg State University (Saint Petersburg)
- Kazan Federal University (Kazan)
- Novosibirsk State Medical University (Novosibirsk)
- Far Eastern Federal University (Vladivostok)
- Tuva State University (Kyzyl)

The attendees took part in various programs including a national academic symposium, a Students' Round Table event, a Japanese culture program, and a Japanese language teacher training program.

On December 6, they participated in the symposium titled, "Sustainable Society and Japanese Language Education?Think about the University's Japanese Language Education from a Long-Term View?". The symposium was co-organized by the University of Tsukuba and the Center for Education of Global Communication (CEGLOC), in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and the Institute for Comparative Research in Human and Social Sciences (ICR). A lecturer, Ms. Tomoyo Shibahara, of the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute first gave a keynote lecture. Teachers and researchers from the seven Russian universities then reported on their Japanese language education methods, and exchanged their thoughts and opinions with the attendees.

On December 7, the program attendees visited the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute in Urawa City, Saitama Prefecture. After receiving an overview of the institute, they observed a Japanese language class and took a tour of its library.
They also visited Kikkoman Monoshiri Shoyu kan in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture (Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum in Noda), and deepened understanding of Japan's food culture and food industries. In addition, they visited Mount Tsukuba Shrine on December 9.

On December 8, they took a special class given by graduate students majoring in Japanese language education. They were Ms. Ayumi Inouchi and Ms. Naomi Katayama, students in the Master's Program in International and Advanced Japanese Studies, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Working with undergraduate students of the University of Tsukuba, the Russian students had an interview with Japanese students on campus. They asked a question, such as, "What kind of image do you have of Russia?" and "What are your future plans?" of them. After conducting interviews, they summed up their findings, and made presentations in the class.

On December 11, a Student Round Table event titled "Biblio Battle ?from Russia?" was held. Students in Ge-NIS program played a central role in organizing the event. Both Japanese and Russian students introduced their favorite books and vied with each other. The attendees casted their vote on which book drew the most attention, and the best presenter received an award.

The Japanese language teacher training program was also held on the day. The students took a Japanese lesson and observed a Japanese language education class, under the guidance of Professor Masaki Ono and Assistant Professor Hideaki Ito (both in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), at the Center for Distance Learning of Japanese and Japanese Issues. Through the program, they deepened understanding of the Japanese language education method.

On December 12, a career seminar titled "The strength of Japanese language learners and how to find a job" was held with Hikari Morita, CEO of ASISAI Co., Ltd., as a lecturer. The attendees learned how to look for a job in which they can utilize their Japanese language proficiency after graduating from the university.
The completion ceremony was held on the last day, and the attendees gave feedback about the Nikkensei Program at the ceremony.
Some of the feedback from the teaching staff were: "Visiting the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute and observing Japanese language classes were great experiences for me. I would like to apply what I have learned to my Japanese language classes in my home country"; and "We received useful information at the career seminar to give our students career guidance in the future."
Other feedback from the students were: "Though I felt nervous at first, giving an interview to Japanese students was a great experience. I could learn how to ask questions politely and correctly in the class."; and "I got interested in studying at the University of Tsukuba in the future."

Symposium

Calligraphy lesson

Japanese language training class