First International Exchange Day for the 2013 Academic Year

The first International Exchange Day for the 2013 academic year was held on Friday, June 28. Two or three international relations days are held each year at the Center for International Relations in order to promote active exchanges between Japanese students and staffs and international students and researchers.

 

The theme of the event this time was a World Tea Festival, and international students from sixteen countries prepared teas and snacks from their particular country, including Sop Buah from Indonesia, pandan leaf tea from Thailand, and Chinese wolfberry tea. In addition, Japanese students made green tea, shiruko (sweet azuki bean soup), and other treats. These treats were provided to visitors at booths manned by students.

 

As the Center for International Relations Director Hamajima gave an opening address at around 6:00 in the evening, the various booths were bustling with numerous visitors who wanted to taste these unique teas and snacks. The particularly popular booths were endlessly busy.

 

Japanese students and international students also put on performances on the nearby stage, making it possible for visitors to enjoy performances they regularly could not see. These included a traditional dance by students from Myanmar and the Mhong’s Dance demonstrated by students from Laos. Furthermore, Japanese students from the Martial Arts Club put on an exhibition and the TUT Jazz Workshop gave a performance.

 

Participants voted for their favorite booth, and the results were announced at the end of the event. The Bangladesh booth was the most popular booth, followed by the Vietnamese booth, and then the Malaysian booth.

 

Tanzanian booth	Myanmar student demonstrating a splendid traditional dance

Martial Arts Club's imressive      demonstration	Bangladesh students, whose booth was voted the most popular, and the  Center for International Relations Director Hamajima