JAIST organizes Japanese Cultural Excursions for international students to deepen their understanding of Japanese and local culture, while also deepening their exchanges with Japanese students.

Excursion 1: Stroll in Kanazawa Castle Park and Tea Ceremony

Comment from international student participant

DANG, HUNG VIET•Information Science M1I had yet to experience Japanese tea ceremony after coming to Japan. I had studied about it in class, but I didn't know what the real experience was like. I was happy that I could participate in it this time. Everyone gathered and drank the delicious tea and chatted during this once-in-a-lifetime event. I felt really relaxed in this atmosphere. Also, the view of Gyokusen-en was very beautiful. I took a lot of pictures and showed them to my friends.
I had a good time at the Kanazawa Castle Park. We walked, chatted, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Comment from JAIST staff

When I saw the participating students dressed in yukata, I thought they fitted perfectly in the colorful atmosphere of historic Kanazawa. At Gyokusen-en, we learned about the soul and the manners of tea ceremony, and enjoyed delicious tea and sweets. At Kanazawa Castle Park, we were all held in awe by the advanced building techniques of Gojikken Nagaya, which did not use a single nail. The trip was great fun, as international students from different countries and the staff deepened their relationships.

Excursion 2: Toujinbou and Eiheiji Temple (Fukui Prefecture)

Comment from international student participant

CAI, YU•Information Science M1
As one of Japan's designated heritage sites, Toujinbou is a preeminent place of beauty. Its sheer cliffs with waves crashing upon them were a powerful and attractive sight. The Sotoshu Daihonzan Eiheiji Temple represents the pinnacle of Japanese Zen Buddhism. The tall temple sits quietly surrounded by giant cedars. I could feel my heart soothed by the visit to Toujinbou and Eiheiji Temple, and I also learned a lot.

Comment from JAIST staff

On the bus trip to Fukui Prefecture, the students participated in fun activities, like introducing themselves in Japanese and practicing Japanese vowel pronunciations with poems by the poet Hakushu Kitahara. At Toujinbou, some students stood out by looking straight down to the sea from the cliffs and staring at the shape of the cliffs and the ocean surface. Others enjoyed the scenery by riding a touring boat.

The day was a hot summer day of 36 degrees Celsius, but thanks to the giant wood structure of the Eiheiji Temple, we were cool inside the temple. The international students were amazed at the difference in temperature. On that day, there was also an exhibit of mementos from victims of the Hiroshima nuclear bombing. This exhibit seemed to strike a deep chord with the students concerning war, and they folded paper cranes and prayed for peace. In their reports, many of the students also said they were fascinated by the differences between the ceremonies of Japanese monks and the monks of their home countries.

Excursion 3: Tour of Yamato Soysauce and Miso Co. Storeroom "Hishihogura"

Comment from international student participant

DANG, YU•Information Science M2
What was most interesting on this trip were the various contraptions displayed in the Kanazawa-kou Ono Karakuri Memorial Hall. It's amazing that such precise contraptions were designed and produced during that era. The mechanical principles of those contraptions are still applied these days. I thought that they demonstrated Japan's handicraft tradition. Next, we toured "Hishihogura." What was most interesting was the soy sauce ice cream. At that time, I thought it was weird, but it really was delicious. Finally, we visited the observation lobby in the Ishikawa Prefectural Government Hall. We could take in the expanse of the city of Kanazawa from the lobby. We also saw the beautiful sunset. I really enjoyed that day.

Comment from JAIST staff

What made a great impression on me at the Kanazawa-kou Ono Karakuri Memorial Hall was the scene of the students engrossed in the contraptions and puzzle toys in the hall, saying, "I can't figure it out. It's difficult!" At "Hishihogura," we learned about soy sauce, a condiment representative of Japanese cuisine. We tasted different types of soy sauce, and were surprised at the unexpected great taste of soy sauce ice cream. Everyone was amazed at what a thing called "soy sauce" could do. At the Ishikawa Prefectural Government Hall, we viewed the beautiful streets of Kanazawa lit by the deep red sunset. Some students said, "Kanazawa is bigger than I thought." Today's experience gave everyone new discoveries.

Excursion 4: Ikebana Experience

Comment from international student participant

VEERAKIATIKIT, CHOMPOONOOT•Information Science M2
On this Japanese cultural trip, I experienced "Ikebana," a traditional Japanese art, at the Ishikawa International Salon. I think that the meaning of and reasons for traditions in Japanese culture are shared with Thai culture. For example, Ikebana is rooted in faith in evergreen trees, which symbolized life in Japan from ancient times. This was my first experience with Ikebana. I learned a lot from my Ikebana teacher. I arranged flowers by considering together their height, direction, color and type. The arrangements were beautiful, of course, and told a story.

Comment from JAIST staff

The students first watched the flower arrangement teacher arrange flowers. Then they tried their hand at ikebana. Harmonizing the flowers' height, direction, and spatial balance was harder than they expected, and even students who were slow to warm up to the task concentrated to create their arrangement. Each country has the custom of admiring flowers. Ikebana in Japan has a very long history, and I could see the students deepening their understanding of Japanese traditional culture. Also, using "kenzan" was something not much seen in other countries, so many of the students had great interest in kenzan. They brought home their flower arrangements, and said they would enjoy them as New Year's decorations.

Excursion 5: Tour of Komatsu, Ltd. Awazu Plan

Comment from international student participant

LI, JIAN•Information Science M2
I am thankful for the opportunity to visit Komatsu's world-famous Awazu plant. Two-thousand ten was the 90th anniversary of Komatsu's founding, and the 70th birthday of Awazu plant. Seeing the actual products at the factory reminded me of the movie "Transformers." Each car seemed to be alive. The plant is recovering from the Lehman financial shock and is continuing to create wonderful products. Komatsu is really worthy of respect as a tenacious company. I'd like to start such a company during my lifetime.

Comment from JAIST staff

On the tour of the assembly line for construction machinery, we saw how one unit of machinery was assembled from parts contained in one marshalling truck, with no slack. We also saw how inline inspectors carried out double-check inspections of critical spots. The guide explained to us how major mistakes discovered by inspections were shared through postings in break rooms to prevent them from occurring again. We learned about how thorough quality management was carried out.The students were extremely interested in Japanese quality management and in the global business expansion of Komatsu. During the Q&A, they engaged in active exchange of viewpoints.

Excursion 6: Making Soba

Comment from international student participant

VUONG, AN HONG•Information Science M1
I have eaten soba many times, but I never knew how it was made from buckwheat. Soda noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but you have to put the flour through many processes to make the noodle sold in shops. The first process of kneading the flour was easy, but without realizing it, I sometimes created dough that was out of shape. Because the next steps became more and more difficult, if the teacher did not teach us, we might not have been able to make soba noodles. After finally cutting the noodles, each of us ate the noodles that our groups made. The taste of the noodle that my group made was just like the taste at noodle shops. We learned more about one another's culture while eating and chatting. For example, we learned that in Thailand, it is considered rude to make sounds when eating noodles, but in Japan, it is the opposite ? it is considered rude not to make sounds while eating noodles. This trip was really interesting and useful.

Comment from JAIST staff

The home countries of the international students have foods that use noodles, but they had never made noodles from buckwheat before, and they seemed to be looking forward to this even before the tour started. They worked at kneading and stretching the dough, which was harder than it looked. However, they became skilled at stretching the dough, which drew praise from the soba master. On this trip, the students competed with one another in groups to make noodles. By working with each other in groups, especially for the task of cutting noodles, they were able to make especially fine noodles. The noodle they made tasted great, and the students seemed satisfied. I was also impressed by how they shared about the food culture of their countries.