On 4 July, the Office for International Joint Usage/Research Centers, a part of the Uji Administration Office, held Nihongo Café, a cultural exchange event aimed at promoting friendship among the Uji Campus' students and researchers across nationalities, ages, and fields of study. The venue was the Cultural Exchange Space, one of the common-use facilities available to the Uji community.
The event began with self-introductions by the eight participants — students and researchers of various affiliations and nationalities — seated at two separate tables. After chatting about the Japanese language and culture while looking at the beverage menu provided on each table, both groups together took part in two language-practice activities.
Toward the end of these sessions, the participants, who had earlier conversed mostly in English — apparently feeling hesitant to speak Japanese — became more relaxed and eager to use the latter language, even phrasing their questions for the staff in it.
The Uji Campus annually hosts around 500 researchers and 150 students coming from abroad to visit or stay for research. The Office for International Joint Usage/Research Centers intends to offer cultural exchange opportunities for these people on a regular basis.
Language-practice activity
Enjoying a chat
