Origami, tea ceremony, and New Year's cards by international students

Following the Welcome Coffee Hours in September, Tokyo Tech's Student Global Exchange Promotion Section held three more events in 2017 for international students: an origami class with 18 participants in October, tea ceremony lessons for 25 students in November, and a New Year's card creation session for 21 students in December.

The origami and New Year's card events were held at the International Student Lounge on Ookayama Campus. Graduate students of the Department of Environmental and Social Sciences, interns majoring in Japanese language education, and faculty members of the Japanese Language Education section at the Institute for Liberal Arts joined the groups of international students to create elaborate paper creations and carved rubber stamps for their New Year's cards. Everyone enjoyed the friendly atmosphere while creating things with their own hands, and the students were all smiles when their monotsukuri works were complete.

In November, a tea ceremony was held in cooperation with the Tea Ceremony Club members of Tokyo Tech and the International Exchange Center. This was a two-part event: In the first session, students experienced the tea ceremony as guests; in the second part, they experienced making and serving tea using traditional bowl and tools. In addition to being a Japanese culture event, this get-together proved to be an important opportunity for international exchange, with both local and international students communicating openly in both English and Japanese.

These events were carried out under the auspices of the Hisao Taki Japanese Language Supporting Project, sponsored by Tokyo Tech alumnus Hisao Taki. This project was founded to provide opportunities for new students to meet other international and Japanese students and staff, ensuring a good social and academic life on campus.

Overall, the international students of Tokyo Tech displayed a high level of interest in Japanese culture and international exchange amidst their busy academic lives. The Student Global Exchange Promotion Section plans to continue hosting exchange events for international and Japanese students, faculty and staff, and local residents in 2018.

• New international students welcomed during Welcome Coffee Hours | Tokyo Tech News
• Student Support Center | Institute-Wide Support Centers | Organization | About Tokyo Tech
• Japanese language and culture, Institute for Liberal Arts | Courses | Education | Institute for Liberal Arts
• Section for Japanese language and culture, Institute for Liberal Arts
• Tea Ceremony Club (Japanese)