Dinner with the Disney Internship students

The students going to the USA this Saturday came over for dinner at my place last night. Some of the faculty members also joined us and we had a pleasant evening with lots of food and lots of cherries from Yamagata!

Cherries, cherries and more cherries

Wow, look at the beautiful cherries I received today. What a great surprise and great gift. The cherries from Yamagata are the best!

Disney Internship: Greetings

The students who returned from Disney in January and the ones leaving on June 30 met with the President and Vice-Presidents of JIU on Monday. 

German Week at JIU

The German Week has started in the Center for Language Education.

Lots of food on Sunday

Twenty-two of my seminar students enjoyed a nice "churrasco" at Barbacoa on Sunday. 

Open campus on Saturday, June 23

Our third open campus session this year was held on Saturday, June 23. In the picture you see three people from the same high school. One is already a senior in my seminar and the other just entered our Department this April. Anna is still wondering what university she should apply for but I hope she enjoyed meeting her seniors here on Saturday. We enjoyed meeting her!

Surprise!

Miura-san showed up really late in my office with some of her colleagues on Monday, June 18. It was an unexpected visit but it was good to see she is enjoying teaching.

Introducing my new seminar students

I am finally uploading the interviews my seminar students have done on the Page: "Ichiyama zemi shokai" now. Please take a look!

A Surprise Visitor

I wasn't expecting Shuko's mother but when I returned to my office during the FD break yesterday, she was in my office. I felt really bad I didn't have any time to talk to her as I had to go back to the meeting and had dinner with my 3rd-year seminar students. However we were able to have breakfast together this morning and I also invited her to go to Sugahara Glass in Kujukuri. Over lunch she said that she enjoyed the green of Chiba most as in Koriyama (Fukushima) they are not taking care of the plants now and the city does not look what it used to. 

Seminar students at Yutaka

My third-year students got together at Yutaka last night. It was their first dinner together since we started our seminar in April. I hope they enjoyed not only the great Taiwanese food but the opportunity to socialize and learn more about and from each other. This year I have students from China (1), Korea (4), Norway (1), USA (2) and Japan (12). Yoshika was the organizer of the event this time. Thanks, Yoshika!

Lots of food on both tables

Gift exchanges

Enjoying dessert

Faculty Development

All the faculty members of JIU attended a Faculty Development from 1 to 6:30 on Friday, June 15. The presentations and discussions were about global education--not why we need it but how we can more efficiently provide that to our students in all faculties. I had to give a presentation on what my department has done the past two years. 

Students Departing for Hawaii

Twenty students from my department departed for Hawaii Friday afternoon. They will be studying at the University of Hawaii, Leeward Community College. I have already received some photos from Waikiki and will be posting them here. 

Departure Ceremony on Wednesday

Safe arrival in Hawaii on Friday

Small reunion in Ginza

Yuka called on Wednesday saying that she was going to have Thursday off and wanted to come to JIU with Ayako. We ended up meeting in Ginza after my class at Josai High. It was great seeing them again and I was glad I was able to introduce them to Niki and to Jaron. We ate a lot from 4 to 9 PM! I forgot to write that on Tuesday, Yuko Tashiro visited me at JIU and also met with many of my first-year students. It was really good seeing my former students and hear about their professional career.

Niki and Jaron's Ginza debut

Josai Junior & Senior High School

On Thursday, June 14, I was in Tokyo again. More specifically I was in the Ikebukuro area where the Josai Junior and Senior High School is located. I went there to teach a 90-minute class on international communication. Here's the photo of the high school students and of Patrik, Niki and Jaron who helped me in the class. 

Henan University of Science and Technology

A delegation from the Henan University of Science and Technology in China visited our Kioicho campus on Wednesday, June 13 to discuss possibilities of future exchanges. We had dinner at the Akasaka Shisen Hanten that evening and look at the beautiful birds and flowers that decorated the tables. They were made of daikon radish and carrots for the bird legs. Wow! (I apologize for the bad quality of the photos.)

Sports Events on June 9, 2012

On Saturday, June 9, the team "International Fighters from the Ichiyama Seminar" participated in the annual sports event organized by JIU. They didn't win but came close!

"Nyushi Setsumekai" on June 6

On June 6, high school teachers and principals attended the orientation for JIU's entrance examinations for 2012 here in Togane and also in Kioicho. Niki, Daiki and Shuko agreed to help out with the explanations for the Department of International Exchange Studies. They did a great job. 

Still my birthday?!?

Nonaka-san brought me this beautiful arrangement today.

And Yo-san brought me these magnificent chocolate sweets. 

Another Brazilian?!?

Students from Okinawa helping me in my office today. That includes the Brazilian student who claims he is partly Okinawan. Fortunately this year three Brazilian students joined the Faculty of International Humanities. 

All freshman and sophomore advisees together

Most of my first and second-year advisees got together for an Indian meal at Garam Masala last night. It was a lot of people--probably 28--in a small restaurant and I hope they all had a good time. 

Unique Meal in Tokyo

I had a great meal in Tokyo with a great friend I had not seen for a while. It was actually a unique restaurant that serves lots of tomatoes and asparagus also in desserts. 

Salmon and papaya.

University of Tennessee: Haslam Scholars

Fifteen students from the Haslam Program of the University of Tennessee completed their three-week program at JIU on Wednesday. I'm sure their time here was very intense and full of great experiences. 

What a beautiful girl!

A beautiful Lladro doll (strawberry picking) from Hara-sensei.