An 11-day summer school program, the "2017 Kyoto Study Program for Kasetsart University", began on 13 June with 11 students taking part from the Thai university. The program was a part of the international seminar, "Changing World -- Environment, Agriculture and Society", offered by the Graduate School of Agriculture (GSA) under the Wild & Wise Collaborative Learning Program. The 11 participants were enrolled in the Faculty of Agriculture as short-term international students for the duration of the summer school.
The Kasetsart students attended a lecture by GSA Professor Motoki Akitsu on "Agri-Food World in Japan: Present and Future", and went on field trips to locations such as GSA's two experimental farms, private farms in Shiga Prefecture and the Kyoto suburbs, and the Kitayama Japanese Ceder Center, gaining insights into the country's agriculture, forestry, and natural environment. In addition, they visited the Lake Biwa Museum and Mizunomori Water Botanical Garden to learn about local ecosystems and eco-preservation efforts.
The program also offered cultural experiences: after attending a lecture on "Kyoto culture", delivered by Associate Professor Shikiko Yukawa of the Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences' Education Center for Japanese Language and Culture, the participants experienced Yuzen dyeing, tried on kimono, visited the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum and Nishiki Market, and, dressed in yukata , toured Yasaka Shrine and other World Heritage sites.
There were also numerous opportunities for the students to interact with their Japanese counterparts, with a number of Kyoto U students -- who have enrolled, or plan to enroll, in an international course partially hosted by Kasetsart -- joining some of the summer school activities.
Special lecture on Japanese traditional culture
At a Kitayama cedar processing facility
Visiting Yasaka Shrine in yukata
Final presentations
