SAKURA SCIENCE High School Program Group 7
Experiencing Japanese University Life at Waseda University Campus
On the morning of Friday, December 15, SSHP group 7 (115 high school students from China, Egypt, India, Kenya, and South Africa), who were visiting Japan for seven days from December 10, visited the Waseda and Tokorozawa campuses at Waseda University in two groups to experience Japanese campus life. A total of 32 people visited the Waseda campus. Firstly, they started with a campus tour lead by Waseda University students. The students toured the university's symbol, the Okuma Auditorium, the Central Library, which boasts one of the largest collections among domestic universities, the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, which will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary, and the Intercultural Communication Center (ICC), which actively develops exchanges with students from various countries.
This is followed by an introduction to the university by about 10 students from the School of Social Sciences. The high school students seemed to have a sense of familiarity with Japanese campus life because they were introduced to various fields such as lectures, club activities, part-time jobs, seminars, and events, including their own experiences. After that, the students were divided into groups and were given time to interact. The high school students enthusiastically asked questions about Japanese culture and campus life, and were excited to see common hobbies, and the like, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Furthermore, as a special lecture, Dr. Miyazawa Naori, Assistant Prof., Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute for Advanced Social Sciences gave a lecture entitled "Action Program for Sustainable Development Action Research." It was impressive to see the high school students who were still eagerly asking Dr.Miyazawa questions after the lecture.
When the high school students were asked about their impressions of SSHP this time, they said, "all of these are impressive. Experiencing a culture that is completely different from our own country is very exciting. I learned something." "Especially Japanese architecture is wonderful." In addition, the Waseda college students said, "The way you actively speak your mind is different from Japanese students." I was impressed that you have had a solid goal for what you want to do in college since high school."
Although it was a short time of about 3 hours, it was a meaningful campus visit for both the SSHP high school students and the Japanese university students.
A visit to Tokorozawa Campus (Waseda University Advanced Research Center for Human Science website)
https://www.waseda.jp/fhum/archs/news/2023/12/28/2777/