By Monika Katja Yuzon, BA COMM- 4, Centralian Link Intern

CPU students at the Experiencing Japan exhibit with students from Nagoya Gakuin University.

On March 7, 2024, as part of Prof. Sharlene Gotico’s English language class, Japanese international students from CPU’s partner universities – Nagoya Gakuin University and Tsurubunka University – organized an exhibit called “Experiencing Japan.” The exhibit featured a variety of activities that the Japanese students had prepared to introduce the students of Central Philippine University to Japanese culture.

The morning session, held from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the IELTS room of Henry Luce III Library, was hosted by students from Nagoya Gakuin University. They were divided into groups, each hosting a booth showcasing different aspects of Japanese culture. The booths included an arts and crafts booth where the CPU students learned the Japanese art of origami, or folding paper, a booth with anime show and movie posters, a booth featuring a Japanese festival, a booth where participants could play a traditional game similar to ring toss, and a booth where the CPU students learned how to make Japanese rice balls, or onigiri.

Tsurubunka University hosted the afternoon session, which ran from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the ground floor lobby of the Henry Luce III Library. To further enrich the cultural experience, they introduced students to Japanese Ikebana (flower arrangement), Kanji (the Japanese writing system), and origami.