Our 2nd Hanoi Nanzankai is to going to be held on Friday November 23rd. Please see the details below. We are delighted to welcome many of the alumni members. Please come and join us.

Those who would like to attend please contact us at intl-alumni@nanzan-u.ac.jp We are looking forward to see you all.

Also Nanzan University will be attending “Japan Education Fair 2012” which is to be held on Saturday November 24th at Melia Hanoi Hotel.

http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/info_fair_vietnam_2012.html
http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/studyinjapan2012_vietnam_viet.html

Please drop by at our booth and see current staff from Nanzan University. You may talk about your ryugaku experience to those who wish to go study abroad in Japan.

Every year on the first Sundays of November, Nanzan University Alumni Association holds a "Home Coming Day". Since year 2009, Nanzan International Students Alumni Network has joined this event. Japanese language class teachers will be waiting at the lounge where photos from good old days will be displayed. We really hope that you will be able to attend!

*Please make sure to register at the main gate.

To all Nanzan University CJS alumni

It’s been a while since I last communicated. I hope that you are all well.
I imagine that you are busy either with your university studies or at work. Here in Japan the seasons are changing with signs of autumn’s arrival is getting stronger.
Today I have some news for you. We are going to hold a reunion in Chicago for CJS alumni on Friday 12 October. How about coming along to enjoy a catch up with some old friends? I will be there from Nanzan University. I’m really looking forward to hearing how you have been doing.

When: From 6:00pm on Friday 12 October
Where: Hilton Chicago “Kitty O’Shea’s”
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/illinois/hilton-chicago-CHICHHH/dining/index.html

Please e-mail me (intl-alumni@nanzan-u.ac.jp) if you can attend.

See you there.

Nanako MACHIDA, Ph.D.
Deputy Director,
Center for International Education

On Saturday, July 21st, the Taipei Ryugakusei Nanzankai was held at Taiwanese cuisine “Chingye-Shinleyuan” as part of a double event "2012 Japan Education Fair at Taipei" on July 22nd. This Nanzankai was organized by former CJS students who finished courses during 2010 to 2012. Ten people including myself and the graduates who had studied at the Faculty of Policy Studies for four years took part.

We really enjoyed unstoppable conversation all night long. We also had good time of networking between former CJS students and former Seto students.

Very next day at the Japan Education Fair, four of the former CJS students came along to help at the booth as interpreters. They introduced Nanzan’s program to young Taiwanese people with expressing strong emotions.

For those who attended both Nanzankai and Ryugaku Fair, we really appreciate your support. Please keep your eyes on our website and catch the information for the next Taipei Nanzankai. Thank you very much.

Masaki URANO
Student Activities Section
Seto Campus
Nanzan University

The completion ceremony of the CJS Summer Program that ran for six weeks from June 11 was held today. This year was memorable on that it was the first year for this program to run. There were 20 students who were mostly from the United States, but there were also students from the seven other countries or regions of China, France, Zambia, Taiwan, Canada, Australia and Gremany. All the students were able to successfully complete the course.

In addition to intensive Japanese classes, there were classes in modern Japanese politics and economics, a class called Japanese Studies through which Japanese culture was taught, and a Japanese Arts class, in which the students were able to learn how to do flower arranging and to make wood-block prints. This Summer Program has added further appeal to the regular offerings of the CJS.

Fieldtrips such as a bus trip to Takayama, visits to watch kabuki, to see the Toyota Automobile Museum, or Nanzan University Seto Campus and Nagoya Castle all added to the program’s appeal. Local Japanese students came along on such trips and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Living in a dormitory environment also created opportunities to build friendships with Japanese students, and while it was a relatively short period, it will no doubt have provided the participants with a precious experience of Japan.

In my case too, taking part in an intensive English course at UCLA when I was 20 years old changed my life. Even short periods like this can have a huge influence on how a young person views their options in life from that point on. For me, that short experience at UCLA was instrumental in making me want to go back to the United States one more time to study at postgraduate level. We sincerely hope that everyone on this year’s Summer Program will want to continue studying the Japanese language and about Japan itself. We are sure that your efforts in that direction will pay off for you in future.

It has been decided that another Summer Program will be run next year. To all of our alumni out there, maybe the Nanzan University Summer Program offers a good opportunity for you to brush up on your Japanese. The staff at the CJS very much look forward to seeing you again.

Nanako MACHIDA, Ph.D.
Deputy Director,
Center for International Education

After 22 years of outstanding service in the Nanzan University Center for International Education, Daisy Montesa finished at the end of June in order to return to her homeland of the Philippines where she will commence a second career. There are many fond memories of Daisy’s contribution at Nanzan and her departure will be lamented both inside and outside of the University and both within Japan and overseas. We sincerely hope that when a Nanzankai alumni gathering is held in the Philippines we can call upon her to serve as the organizer. Thank you very much for your wonderful work at Nanzan.

On Saturday, 19 May 2012, the 2011-2012 CJS Course Completion Ceremony was held in the Flatten Hall in Building R. Michael Calmano, S.V.D. , president of Nanzan University presented completion certificates to 79 students and participation certificates to another 27 students.

At the ceremony both Michael Calmano, S.V.D., president of Nanzan University, and Director of the Center for International Education Yoshikazu Watanabe greeted those attending, and on behalf of the students Ms. FU Jun-quin gave a heartfelt valedictory address.

At the party held following the ceremony, the students had the opportunity to thank members of their host families and the people who had looked after them in the dormitory for their support. There were speeches by homestay representative, Ms. Kate Elizabeth Stevenson and dormitory representative, Mr. Bordinrat Chankhao. Mr. Ted Ofner played guitar and Mr. Nguyen Ky Vu sung a song for everyone. Taking a lot of photographs, changing the addresses… everybody seemed wanting to stay and talk for as long as possible before parting ways.

On Saturday, March 10, we hosted a Taipei Nanzankai at “Chao Jiang Yan", Taiwan with 11 people attending. It was great to see some familiar faces and those meeting for the first time. The graduate of Nanzan who organized this Nanzankai was one of my best friends from my Nanzan years, so this alumni get-together was doubly enjoyable for me. Also, there were several graduates who had studied at the Faculty of Policy Studies for four years. Since I am affiliated with this Faculty, it was good to see them again and I was excited to learn that they regularly hold a mini-Nanzankai in Taipei among themselves. I hope more alumni all over the world are gathering like these Taipei alumni!

In October, Machida-sensei may visit Chicago for a conference, and if that happens, we can plan a Nanzankai there. That would be exciting, wouldn't it?

Charlie Watanabe
Director, Center for International Education

The two institutions that established agreements in the last year.
7/2011 Autonomous University of Madrid (Madrid, Spain)
2/2012 Heinrich-Heine University Dusseldorf (Dusseldorf, Germany)

On 21 July, Saturday, a Nanzankai gathering for international alumni will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. We hope that a good number of former students will be able to attend.

Those who would like to attend please contact us on intl-alumni@nanzan-u.ac.jp. We look forward to seeing you all.