2017年6月の記事一覧

 “Omotenahi: How to Welcome People” Lecture was held for the second-year students in the SG course on June 28th.  They worked on this event as a part of “Omotenashi” Lecture in High School given by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education.  They learned “Omotenashi mind,” which means how they should be considerate of others and the importance of cooperating with people in the community so that they will be able to work for the society harmoniously.

The students in the SG course are going to make a sightseeing plan in Kanazawa, because they are going to welcome international students from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, who are invited for their presentation in July.

They met with Mr. Senda from Nippon Travel Agency and Ms. Nakai, an interpretation guide, and the two lecturers told them about the change in demand after the arrival of the Hokuriku Sinkansen in Kanazawa, and necessary preparation and tips for guiding foreign tourists.  After the lecture, the students did presentations about their sightseeing plans, in English, and received advice from the lecturers.  The students will consider details about their plans and prepare for guiding foreign tourists.

[the participants’ comments]

＊I thought it was important to think of others when I made my plan.  It can’t be a good plan if I force my opinions on a person.  It was difficult to plan within a limited time frame, but I enjoyed working with my friends.

＊Today I have a clearer understanding of what “omotenashi” means.  I was moved to know that there are differences in feelings about Japan between Japanese people and foreigners.  I would like to try hard to help them enjoy Japan. 

 On June 17th, nine students joined the “Hokuriku Shinkansen Summit” hosted by Ueda High School in Nagano prefecture.  12 high schools located along the Hokuriku Shinkansen gathered at this meeting.

First, Tomoki Nitta from JICA Hokuriku branch and Fuki Horiuchi from Saku University gave a short lecture.  Then, panel discussions were held, and each high school made presentations, followed by questions and answers.  Later, the participating students ate lunch together at the Ueda Park. 

Students who joined the Summit had meaningful discussions and precious experiences.  They would like to have the opportunity to interact with other Super Global High schools in the future.

[the participants’ comments]

＊I was surprised at the high presentation skills of other high school students.  Most students started their presentation with an inquiry or simple conversation, so a lot of listeners were interested in their presentation.  They also communicated with listeners well.  They were very friendly so we had a good discussion during lunch time.  I wanted to ask them for more advice.  We had a very meaningful experience.

＊Students from other prefectures had broad knowledge about various things, so we had deep discussions.  To my surprise, there were some people who didn’t know about peace education, and there were students of the same age who are trying to do volunteer work in foreign countries.  At first, I was very nervous but eventually I could enjoy listening to presentations and making discussions.  We were supported by a lot of people and owe a lot of thanks to them.

 On June 17th, second-year SG course students visited the Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, “Shishu-kan”.

The purpose of this training was to ask graduates for some advice about how to set a research theme and plan, and to learn about what a global leader or researcher is like by communicating with their future role models.

After listening to opening remarks from Prof. Oshima and graduates’ introduction of their own research, the students started to give their presentations one by one.  Graduate students gave them some advice.  The students were very nervous at first, but gradually the discussions became lively.

   This training was a good chance for students not only to get useful advice but also to know the essence of research.  

[the participants’ comments]

＊I understood how to go about our research by visiting Syuugakukan.  Before this visit, we chose only one point of view and we were not able to set up various hypothesis.  However, through this experience, we now have various viewpoints.

＊Before listening to the lecture, I could hardly explain what research was.  Now, I seem to have found that creativity and newness are important in doing research.  I was glad that the graduates tried warmly and earnestly to give us advice.  I want to exchange my opinions positively from now on.

♢JICA Mini-Lecture

 The mini-lecture about JICA was held for 49 participating students.  Ayako Yamashita, who had been involved in JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers), was invited and gave a lecture about nourishment education in Bolivia.  She explained the difficulty of working internationally as a nutritionist, telling them about language barriers and different cultures.  At the same time, she talked about satisfaction she felt when she got the trust of local people.  This was a good opportunity for the students who were interested in intercultural communication or international contribution to broaden their minds.

[the participants’ comments]

＊I was very excited because I didn’t know about Bolivia at all.  I learned that there are big carnivals, and people can enjoy nature there.  Now I want to go there.  She seemed like she had a very full life in Bolivia though she had trouble with the language barrier.  I thought that the nutritionists were nice when I heard that the cooking helps communication.  International activities are exciting, so I want to join volunteer organizations such as JICA.

＊When I heard that there is a food delivery only once a week in some places in Bolivia, I realized that Japanese people are blessed with a lot of food at hand.  I learned the benefits of cooking natural food with natural tools instead of cooking with convenient tools or using treated food material.  The most memorable statement was “if you do what you can do, someone will accept you and you can get more opportunities.”

♢JICA Special Lecture

 On June 12th, second-year and third-year SG course students and third-year students in humanities course listened to a special lecture whose title was ‘Learn from The Most Unique and Happiest Country, Bhutan.’  It was given by Tomoki Nitta from JICA Hokuriku branch.  He wore a traditional costume from Bhutan, and he spoke about stories when living in Bhutan and policies on improving GNH (Gross National Happiness).

Third-year students in literary classes are going to work on making essays about what they learned from his lecture for JICA essay contest.

[the participants’ comments]

＊I believed there was no democratization without blood.  However, I was so surprised that such a situation occurred in Bhutan.  I thought Bhutan was such a nice country, because Bhutan seriously thinks about the happiness of its citizens, compared with Japan.  Japan has a lot of suicides, although Japan is rich in money.  Also, I think it is kind of people in Bhutan to donate to poor countries even though Bhutan is also poor.  I will never forget their warmness.

＊Today, I learned a lot of things about Bhutan, and my perception was overturned.  I knew about Bhutan only as “one of the happiest counties.” However, I learned Bhutan regards the happiness of　citizens very seriously.  I was so moved by his words, “International cooperation means to share happiness.”  I often hear the phrases ‘international cooperation’ or ‘international interactions’ said.  I want to try to understand foreign cultures more.