Three Japanese students participate in Mediterranean Youth Festival at Akdeniz University, Turkey (15th-24th May)
2012.06.27
Prior to concluding an Agreement for Academic Exchange and Cooperation, three Chiba University students (Satoko Matsumura, Association of Graduate Schools of Science and Technology, 1st year masters course; Akihiro Ishida, Faculty of Horticulture, 4th year; Tomoe Yunoki, Faculty of Horticulture, 2nd year) visited Akdeniz University in Turkey for a week to attend the Mediterranean Youth Festival, engaging in intercultural activities and making friends with Turkish students. Akdeniz University, which lies in Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast, has a record of academic exchange with the Faculty of Horticulture and the School of Medicine at Chiba University, but it was the first time students were involved in an exchange.
(Participants from 20 countries in a commemorative photograph with President
Kurtcephe of Akdeniz University (1st row). Satoko Matsumura and Tomoe
Yunoki dressed in Japanese kimono flank the President. )
Akdeniz University launches the Mediterranean Youth Festival every year, inviting students from about 20 countries. This year, the three students from Chiba University gave a presentation on Japanese culture (in English), focusing on the Japanese tea ceremony. Also, an origami paper art workshop using traditional Japanese paper 'washi' was held. During the festival, a 'kimono' and 'haori hakama' experience was also organized. All the three events attracted a lot of attention and were later reported in local newspapers.
(Everyone looked stunned at the graceful beauty of the
tea ceremony during Satoko Matsumura's performance.)
(Akihiro Ishida thanks everyone for their minute of silence for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster which struck Japan on 11th March. )
(Japanese cultural presentation including the tea ceremony, kimono experience and
origami workshop was reported in several local newspapers. )
The three students said "our visit to Akdeniz University taught them the importance of getting to know different cultures" during their meeting with Chiba University's President Saito after they came back to Japan. President Saito encouraged them to further their experience and "to fly high in the world". The students also expressed their gratitude to all the teachers who supported their visit, especially those at the Center for International Education who had provided them with cultural guidance as well as the pre-visit education to help them prepare their performances for the festival. They also expressed their special thanks to the volunteers from Chiba University Mothers and Students Association. Finally, the students wished to thank Akdeniz University President Kurtcephe and Professor Yazar, the Dean of the School of Medicine, as well as all academics and staff at Akdeniz University for their especially warm welcome and help.
(Chiba University's President Saito and Akihiro Ishida with
Tomoe Yunoki (left) and Satoko Matsumura (right) hold the
Participation Plaque in a photograph after their return to Japan.)