International students representing 13 nationalities finish Intensive Japanese Course with poster presentations
Fourteen international students representing thirteen nationalities recently completed their Intensive Japanese Course at the Institute for Liberal Arts (ILA) with poster presentations, which were held at Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza on Ookayama Campus on July 10.
Many of the students could speak little or no Japanese when they arrived in Japan in April 2026. However, after roughly four months of rigorous study, their Japanese proficiency had improved to the point where they were able to answer questions from audience members in Japanese. In preparation for their talks, the international students held numerous discussions with their Japanese language instructors and one another to select topics, create posters, practice presenting, and prepare for the Q&A session.
During the presentations, each student used a poster they had created to introduce aspects of their home country or region, such as daily life, history, geography, nature, famous sites, culture, customs, and language. There were also presentations that highlighted similarities and differences between the cultures and customs of home and Japan, as well as talks that explained what forms of Japanese culture interest people around the world. Each student carefully crafted the content and delivery of their presentation to ensure it was easy to understand, even for elementary school students and people who were not familiar with the topics.
Audience members included approximately 200 fifth and sixth graders, and their teachers, from Senzokuike Elementary School in Tokyo’s Ota City. Science Tokyo's international students had visited the school recently to deepen international exchanges, and the youngsters happily returned the favor. Other listeners included members of the Kanagawa Systematized Goodwill Guide Club (KSGG), a volunteer group that guided Science Tokyo's international students around the historical city of Kamakura as part of the Intensive Japanese Course.
Many Science Tokyo faculty, staff, and students also tuned in to the presentations. These included Executive Vice President for Education Hidetoshi Sekiguchi, faculty members in charge of hosting international students, fellow students from laboratories, and senior international students who had previously given similar presentations.
At the end of the presentations, Senzokuike Elementary School Vice Principal Fumio Maruyama expressed his gratitude to the international students and shared his thoughts on the event. Sekiguchi, who had offered a welcome message to the elementary school students earlier, shared some words of encouragement with the international students. A representative of the elementary school students also provided comments on the international students' presentations.
Comment from participating international students
- At first, I was a little nervous because I was presenting in Japanese, but as I interacted with the visitors, I gradually became more confident.
- The poster presentation was a valuable experience that improved my Japanese communication skills, increased my confidence in public speaking, and allowed me to build connections with the local community.
- I also really liked the idea of meeting the kids shortly after starting the Japanese course and then meeting them again after improving our Japanese. It allowed me to clearly see how much progress I had made.
- I really tried to make it easy to understand for the Japanese students. I focused on speaking clearly and using simple explanations.
- This presentation was one of the best experiences I have had in Japan so far!
Science Tokyo’s Intensive Japanese Courses
Science Tokyo's Intensive Japanese Courses, held twice a year, are aimed mainly at Japanese government-sponsored international students looking to progress to graduate-level studies. Other students are also invited to join if capacity allows.
These courses aim to develop Japanese proficiency among beginner-level students who have just arrived in Japan. By the end of the course, each international student will have acquired sufficient language skills to make an oral presentation in basic Japanese. ILA's Japanese Section functions as "a hub for meeting and learning" for students from different cultural backgrounds, and a safe place where international students can exchange information about life in Japan.
Encounters with Japanese culture and people are important components of the courses. International students visit places such as Kamakura City, art museums in the metropolitan area, and Sona Area Tokyo, an experience-based learning facility for disaster prevention. Intensive Japanese Course students also conduct active exchanges with elementary school students in Tokyo's Ota City.
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Contact
Japanese Section, Institute for Liberal Arts (ILA)