From Sakado to Tsukuba: A Campus Visit and Cross-Cultural Sharing Session

Today, we took a trip to the University of Tsukuba, accompanied by several students from Tsukusaka Senior High School. We started our journey at 8:30 AM and traveled by bus. The trip took about two hours, and when we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by Ms. Eri and Ms. Nao. We were guided to a room where we received information about the day's agenda, which included a presentation about the University of Tsukuba. Since the Tsukusaka students are preparing for their transition to university life, the university showcased the various study programs available on campus. Mr. Nomura led the presentation, and through his explanation, we learned a lot about the university's history, as well as its branch campuses across different cities and countries.

After that, we were taken to a mall that Ms.Eri said is the largest one in Tsukuba where the group planned to grab lunch. Since I was fasting at the time and couldn't eat or drink, I decided to walk around and explore the shops instead. Naturally, my curiosity led me to look for original Japanese Gundam and action figures, so I spent some time happily browsing through several hobby stores. Once I was satisfied exploring the mall and my friends had finished their lunch, we headed back to the University of Tsukuba to attend a public lecture delivered by Tatemoto-sensei.

Movie Studio in Tsukuba Mall

To be completely honest, I didn't fully grasp all the details of the lecture, but the overall theme revolved around social and global issues. It also included presentations from individuals sharing their experiences of conducting workshops abroad. Following the lecture, we were divided into groups consisting of SEA-Teacher participants, Tsukusaka students, and University of Tsukuba students. In these groups, we exchanged experiences. I shared my reasons for wanting to visit Japan and the aspects of Japanese culture I admire. In return, I asked them what they knew about other countries, particularly Indonesian culture. We had this group sharing session for almost 45 minutes, and afterward, we presented the key takeaways from our discussions. We wrapped up the session by taking some group photos, marking the end of the day's main events. Finally, we headed back to Sakado in the afternoon. Once we arrived, we returned to our dormitory to get some well-deserved rest.

A Pen as a Present From University of Tsukuba

Presentation by Tatemoto-Sensei

Group Discussion with Student from University of Tsukuba

Public Lecture in University of Tsukuba