Japanese at Wellesley and Beyond

Hello all! We hope your spring semesters have been fun so far! Enjoy the campus as the sun comes out and the temperature warms.

Here is a recap of some of the events that were held this semester for the Japanese Department. Thank you to our amazing TA, Misaki Mukai, for providing us with photos!

Japan Internship Info Session

On February 25th, Japanese students gathered in the EALC Department to hear about the Sakae Japan Internship Program (SJIP). Thank you to our guest speakers and the Japanese Department for organizing this valuable event!

Japanese students listening in on a presentation about SJIP.

Award Ceremony for 9th Japanese Language Contest in New England

On April 6th, one of our Japanese students, Seunghoon Lee, received an award at the 9th annual Japanese Language Contest in New England for an outstanding essay in Japanese. Professor Torii and Misaki were also there with Seunghoon at the ceremony. おめでとうございます、Seunghoonさん!

From left to right, Professor Torii, Seunghoon, and our TA Misaki.

Karate Workshops for Beginning Japanese classes

Our Beginning Japanese classes (JPN 102-01 and JPN 102-02) were treated to a karate workshop in the Keohane Sports Center on April 5th. We hope everyone had fun learning about karate (while getting in a good workout, too)! Thank you to our workshop leader and the department for organizing this event.

JPN 102 students learning about karate.

Nintendo Game Night

For a fun change of pace, Misaki worked together with some members of JPN 102 (our beginning Japanese course) to hold a Nintendo Game Night! Japanese students, as well as a few other Nintendo fans, came together to take a break from schoolwork and play video games. Nintendo is truly one of Japan’s best cultural exports!

Japanese students focused on a Nintendo game.

We hope everyone continues to have a wonderful spring semester, as the academic year slowly comes to a close!

Earlier this month, Wellesley’s Japan Club hosted its annual Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival) event in Tishman Commons. It was a night filled with delicious Japanese food, wonderful performances, and fun games and activities!

Our own Japanese TA, Misaki Mukai, along with Beginning Japanese students and our Chinese TA Jenny Huang, performed a sang and danced to the song “We Are” from the popular anime One Piece. The idea to perform something began due to a question Misaki was asked by a JPN 102 student using new grammar concepts she had learned earlier that day:「先生、雪祭りで一緒にワンピースのパフォーマンスをしませんか？」 (“Teacher, shall we perform ONEPIECE together at Yukimatsuri?”)

Misaki said this about the performance: “It became a great opportunity for them to learn more Japanese from One Piece. Thank you, Japan Club, for letting us perform!”

Thank you to all Wellesley students and faculty for coming out to support the representation of Japanese culture on our campus! We hope to see you at next year’s Yuki Matsuri.

Tishman Commons was packed at Yuki Matsuri.

Misaki and Jenny with JPN 102 students in costume for their performance!

Everyone in the middle of singing and dancing to “We Are”!

The Japanese Department hosted a number of events this past fall semester! Here is a brief review of what happened these past few months.

JET Program Information Session

Students attending the JET program info session with Professor Torii and a guest speaker from the Consulate General of Japan in Boston.

A representative from the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, Mx. Adrian Hatton, came to Wellesley to host an information session for students interested in the program. We learned about the many aspects of the program and its benefits while enjoying lunch together.

Good luck to all Wellesley students who applied to the JET Program! We hope you are all accepted in the springtime!

Boston Japanese Speech Contest

Wellesley hosted the 18th annual Boston-Area Japanese Speech Contest on November 3rd, 2018. The event’s participants included students from Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, UMass Boston, and of course, Wellesley. Congratulations to our students Majesty Zander ’21 and Yuou Wang ’22 for their wonderful speeches, and thank you to our wonderful Japanese professors Yoshimi Maeno and Eiko Torii-Williams for their help in making the event possible!

Our lovely helpers and participants from the Japanese Speech contest! From left to right: Misaki Mukai (Japanese TA), Professor Torii, Majesty Zander ’21, Yuou Wang ’22, and Professor Maeno.

Showa Visit at Japan Table

Wellesley students talk with visitors from Showa Boston at Japan Table.

At one meeting of Japan Table, a weekly lunchtime get-together for students to practice Japanese conversation, we had the opportunity to host Japanese students from Showa University’s Boston Campus. Wellesley students from Japanese classes had the opportunity to talk with students from Japan, and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun!

Kimono and Ikebana (Flower Arrangement) Workshops with Japanese Classes

Our Japanese classes recently had the opportunity to experience two parts of Japanese culture: kimono, traditional Japanese robes, and ikebana, traditional Japanese flower arrangement. A big thank you to Masako Atake and Yumiko Shimada who helped put on these workshops!

Masako Atake assisting in one of our ikebana workshops.

Yumiko Shimada and students in our intermediate-advanced Japanese class.

Stay tuned for more updates on Japanese Department events happening in the spring!