Newsletter of International Exchange,
Gifu University

No.39
March 2014

Newly Concluded University-Level and Faculty-Level Exchange Agreements
Gifu University Concluded a MOU with Universitas Sebelas Maret
Gifu University concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Universitas Sebelas Maret,
Republic of Indonesia, on July 8, 2013.
Founded in 1976, Universitas Sebelas Maret is situated in an ancient city called Solo (present-day Surakarta City) in Central Java,
Indonesia. Universitas Sebelas Maret is one of the most popular universities in Indonesia. It has well-developed facilities for students,
including dormitories, a medical and public health center, a library, and sports and welfare facilities. Also, with highly advanced
information facilities and equipment in place, the university oﬀers “e-learning” programs in each department via the Internet.
Before the conclusion of this university-level MOU, the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences at Gifu University signed
an Agreement of Academic Exchange with the Faculty of Agriculture at Universitas Sebelas Maret on March 28, 2012.
Also, the United Graduate School of Agricultural Science at Gifu University entered into a MOU with the Graduate Schoolat Universitas Sebelas Maret on March 30, 2012. Since the conclusion of these two agreements, both Gifu University andUniversitas Sebelas Maret have been actively engaged in holding collaborative lectures and courses for undergraduate
and graduate students.
With the latest signing of the MOU with Universitas Sebelas Maret, the number of Gifu Universityʼs sister universities
overseas now stands at 44.

The Faculty of Engineering at Gifu University Concluded Agreements with the
School of Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain and the Facultyof Science and Technology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
The Faculty of Engineering at Gifu University entered into an Agreement on Student and Faculty
Exchanges with the School of Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, on July 9, 2013.
They also concluded an Agreement on Faculty and Student Exchanges with the Faculty of Scienceand Technology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia) on January
22, 2014.
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, consists of three major schools: Social Sciences and Law,
Humanities, and Engineering. It is a research-oriented university where approximately 20% of
graduates go on to graduate school every year. Most of the classes are conducted in English to meetthe requirements of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA, known as the “Bologna Process”). In
the ﬁeld of engineering, students are able to study a wide range of courses such as aerospace,bioengineering, energy, and electrical engineering
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was founded in 1970 through the enthusiasm and support of the
Malaysian citizens. Located in Bangi, Selangor, about 35 kilometers southeast from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is
one of the ﬁve public research universities recognized by the Malaysian government. Since its foundation, the university has been highly praised for its
research and academic programs, its involvement in local communities, and its internationalization eﬀorts both at home and abroad. Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia has a total of thirteen faculties, of which the Faculty of Science and Technology is the largest.
It is hoped that the latest signing of those faculty-level agreements will invigorate educational and research activities through lively exchanges
between faculty, staﬀ, and students in the future.

From Gifu University Overseas Oﬃces
Dhaka Oﬃce (Bangladesh) is Relocated to the University of Dhaka
The Gifu University Dhaka Oﬃce was established in August 2009 within an oﬃce building in Dhaka,Bangladesh. In July 2013, the oﬃce was relocated to the University of Dhaka, one of the sister
universities of Gifu University.
The newly installed wooden signboard bearing Japanese meaning “Gifu University Dhaka Oﬃce” at the
new Dhaka Oﬃce was created through the cooperation of the Kuraiyama Forest Education Research Site (inGero City, Gifu Prefecture) of the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences at Gifu University. The signboard presentation ceremony was held at Gifu University on July
3, 2013, during the Second UGSAS-GU* Roundtable & Symposium, in which eleven universities from South and Southeast Asia participated. Dr. Akira Komiyama,
Director of the Oﬃce for Academic Globalization, directly handed the signboard to Dr. Shahid Akhtar Hossin, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka.
With the relocation of the Dhaka Oﬃce to the University of Dhaka, we anticipate using the oﬃce for more educational and research exchanges in the future.
*UGSAS-GU: The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University

Introducing the Activities of the Gifu University Shanghai Oﬃce (China)

By Office Representative : Dr.Yu Ping

The Gifu University Shanghai Oﬃce was established in Shanghai, China, on May 11, 2009. The oﬃce has threemain missions:
1) the promotion of international academic exchanges among Gifu University and universities and researchorganizations in China, 2) the facilitation and implementation of collaborative educational programs between
Gifu University and its sister universities in China, and 3) the arrangement and execution of collaborative andcooperation activities that Gifu University considers necessary.
Since its establishment, the Shanghai Oﬃce has sent Gifu Universityʼs reference materials to many universities,
senior high schools, Japanese language schools, and other institutions in China in the hopes of attracting more
Chinese students to study at Gifu University. The oﬃce also has made a number of presentations at events in China such as the Japan Education Fair andthe Study Japan Fair. Furthermore, the oﬃce provides Gifu University with information about prospective Chinese students wishing to study at Gifu
University and provides support for Gifu University faculty and staﬀ visiting Shanghai, China.
1International Weeks in 2013
In ﬁscal year 2013, the Oﬃce for Academic Globalization held two International Weeks (Spring and Fall) following the ﬁrst International Week held in
2012. In the International Week in Fall 2013, a variety of international exchange programs and events were arranged with the aim of turning studentsʼinterests toward the world aﬀairs. We will continue to improve the quality of these programs in collaboration with each of the faculties andcooperating organizations to promote the internationalization of Gifu University.

International Week in Fall 2013

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Poster Session (November 5-26)“Special Lounge” (November 18)

Using a corner of the dining hall in the student cooperative, we held aposter session by international researchers and students studying at
Gifu University.
Researchers and students from Iran, Spain, Indonesia, Vietnam, andCroatia introduced the beautiful landscapes, foods, and other aspects of
their home countries through photographs posted on the multiple
boards. Their impressions about people and life in Japan were also on
display on the boards in both English and Japanese.

As a special edition of the monthly “English Lounge” held at Gifu
University, a “Special Lounge” was held on November 18 for speaking
Japanese, French, and Korean.
About 30 participants joined the group of their choice and studied
the basics of the respective languages with the help of native
speakers. International students also enjoyed speaking Japanese with
the Japanese students.

Network Meeting with Local Companies(November 13)

Network Meeting with International Exchange
Support Organizations (November 20)

In order to provide international students of Gifu University with
opportunities to interact with local companies, a Network Meeting with
Local Companies was co-organized by the Gifu Shinkin Bank Ltd.
A total of 15 companies in and around Gifu City attended and madepresentations about their business operations at home and abroad.
After the meeting, a reception was held for the companiesʼ
representatives, international students and Japanese students to
exchange opinions and information with each other.

To express deep appreciation to the local companies and organizations
that provide continued support to the international students studying
at Gifu University and also to facilitate friendship among theseorganizations and our faculty, staﬀ, and international students, the 17th
Network Meeting with International Exchange Support Organizations
was held on November 20 with representatives from local companies
and support organizations.
At the meeting, Dr. Fumiaki Suzuki, Vice-Director of the Oﬃce for
Academic Globalization, made a presentation entitled “Collaboration
Between Universities andRegions in the Age ofInternationalization.” At thereception afterward, aninternational student from
Iran made a slide-showpresentation about his
home country that captured
the interest of many
participants.

“Lecture to Bridge the World” (November 15)

Potluck Party (November 22)

Mr. Eiji Hiranaka (currently a business advisor to the Business Division,
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation), who has many years ofexperience working at the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia and in theﬁeld of higher education, was invited as a guest speaker at the Gifu
University “Lecture to Bridge the World.”
In his lecture entitled “Why Indonesia Now?” Mr. Hiranaka discussed
a wide range of topics, from Indonesiaʼs history, culture, andgeographical features to its politics and economy. About 70 people
from Gifu University and elsewhere attended and listened intently to his
unique experiences and deep insights about Indonesia.

As the ﬁnal event of the International Week in Fall 2013, the annual
Potluck Party was held on November 22.
A total of 43 people enjoyed the party. Japanese students, international
students and researchers, faculty and staﬀ, and their families had a greattime together sharing the dishes they brought in while speaking Japaneseand many other languages. In
everyoneʼs favorite “Raﬄe Drawing” atotal of 4,500 yen was collected anddonated to the Japan Red Cross for thevictims of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit thePhilippines in November 2013.

Newsletter of International Exchange, Gifu University

Messages from International Students

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Research Student from the Republic of Croatia, English Education Major,
Teacher Education Course, Faculty of Education By Posta Silvija

I came to Japan in October in 2012. I think that Japaneseculture and life are very diﬀerent from those in my homecountry, Croatia. I did not worry about life in Japan verymuch before coming to Japan, but I ended up
encountering many surprises in Japan because of thediﬀvastt diﬀerencesin culture and life between Japan and Croatia.
In Croatia, I worked as an English teacher. In Japan, I am aninternational researcher studying under the teacher training programof the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
This program takes one and a half years to complete. After coming toGifu University, I started to study Japanese for the ﬁrst time in my life.
The course was very busy and fast-paced, like a “Shinkansen” bullet
train. But despite such high speed, I came to understand Japaneselittle by little. I felt thrilled every time I understood even the simplest
Japanese. When it comes to Japanese, though, studying kanji
characters is still the biggest hurdle for me.
I also enjoyed studying English education with Gifu University
students. I had a chance to visit some schools to observe English classes.
I was impressed by the new English teaching methods adopted at thoseschools. While engaging in various unique English activities, students
there were studying English in earnest. They seemed to be very fond of
studying English. Some of the students said to me, “You look like an
English-language woman.” 1) This comment really amused me.

During my stay in Gifu, I came in contact with Japanese culture for theﬁrst time in my life. At the Gifu University Festival, I put on kimono and took
many pictures with my friends. My family and my friends in Croatia said I
looked very exotic in kimono when they saw my pictures. I also studied tea
ceremony and Aikido, a martial art. I felt my heart become peaceful when I
attended tea ceremony lessons. Through my Aikido training, I realized thatsome skills would be convenient to use, but I do not recommend using
them every day. The cultural traditions of Gifu include cormorant ﬁshing,persimmons, and paper lanterns. I was amazed to see how paper lanterns
are made. With great patience and a high level of precision, it took about
one hour to complete a single lantern. I also had a great time observing
traditional cormorant ﬁshing in the river.
I am very interested in Japanese culture
and there are still many more things I
want to study and experience in Japan,
but I have to return to my country soon.
I will bring my knowledge about
Japanese culture and many fondmemories of the kind people in Japanback with me to my home country.
1) Editorial Note: The students meantthat Silvija appeared to be a native
speaker of English.
From Republic of Korea, Second Year of Masterʼs Program,(QMR\6WXG\LQJ$EURDG Mechanical and Systems Engineering Division, Graduate School of Engineering By Song Byungsoo
Unlike in the past, it is not so diﬃcult to ﬁnd people whoare planning to study abroad to realize their dreams,
who are about to start their life overseas, who are
already studying abroad and who will soon complete
their studying abroad, or anyone who is involved instudying abroad in one way or another these days.
However,H
if we make light of studying abroad, it is easy to end up
wasting our time and eﬀort. I hope that my reﬂections on studying at
Gifu University for the past three years will be of help to those who areinterested in studying abroad in the near future.
First, I recommend having a clear purpose and goal for studying
abroad. I was enrolled at Seoul National University of Science andTechnology, a sister university of Gifu University. When I was in myjunior year, I started to think about my career and my future. I was
majoring in Industrial Engineering and Die Engineering, so the UnitedStates, Germany, and Japan came to mind ﬁrst because dietechnologies in those countries are superior to those in South Korea.
Soon I learned that Gifu University had made outstandingachievements in die engineering through support from the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, so I decided toapply to Gifu University as an exchange student. After enrolling at Gifu
University, I attended classes in my ﬁeld of study while studying
Japanese for one year. Because I was not so good at Japanese before
coming to Japan, I had many diﬃculties in classes and in adapting to life
in Japan, but thanks to help from many people, I truly enjoyed studying
at Gifu University. My wonderful experience at Gifu University propelled
me to go on to the Graduate School of Engineering at Gifu University.

Second, it is important to build up all kinds of experiences by actively
studying and having fun. Studying abroad does not always guarantee
success in your life. Of course, there are people who failed in their study
abroad and returned to their home countries or who are wasting theirtime while studying abroad. As far as I know, those who tend to fail either
study too hard or spend too much time on entertainment. Needless tosay, studying is the ﬁrst duty for any student, but hanging out withfriends is also important, particularly while studying abroad. Indeed, it isimportant to go out and make friends and actively communicate witheach other to get a deeper understanding about local customs and life
and to obtain useful information about the country you are studying in.
Such day-to-day experiences will certainly enrich your vocabulary. On theother hand, if you spend too much time on entertainment, you will lose
sight of your initial purpose for studying abroad and you will end up
wasting your money and time on nothing more than a long sightseeing
excursion. Striking a balance between studying and leisure is, I believe,
the path to success for studying abroad.
Finally, if you have a chance to study abroad, please try to enjoy it to
the fullest. In this world of 7 billion
people, those who can experiencestudy abroad are truly the lucky
ones. By creating, carrying out,
and enjoying this wonderful
opportunity yourself, I believe you
can discover yourself one step
closer to making your dreams
come true.

My Experience Studying Abroad as an Exchange Student

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About ﬁve months have passed since I started my life in
San Diego in the United States.2) It is now winter break, so
I have been traveling and spending my time preparing fornext semester. When I ﬁrst arrived in San Diego,
everything
thi I saw and heard was completely new to me, but little by little
I have become accustomed to life here. From the beginning of next
semester, I plan to start volunteering at a shelter for the homeless andwomen and children who have been abused.
I imagine I will be asked on various occasions if I changed after studying
abroad, so when I asked myself this question at this turning point during
my study abroad in San Diego, I realized there is something inside me thatwill never change. I was surprised to ﬁnd that, for better or worse, there is apart of me that stays the same no matter where I am, who I am with, or
what language I use. Maybe that is because I was already 20 years old when
I started my new life abroad, or maybe it is because I was born this way.

Senior, Training Course for School Teachers,
Faculty of Education By Rika Kanetakecurrently studying at San Diego State University

Either way, I think I can say that what I cannot change is an integral part of
who I am. This realization gave me some clues about what really matters tome in my life. I believe it was easier for me to realize this integral part of me
in a completely diﬀerent living environment than that of Japan.
Five months of studying at San Diego State University have passed very
quickly, but I rediscovered many things that I had been taking for granted
for years. Life with four roommates of diﬀerent nationalities and cultures
has been quite exciting and eventful
every day. This year I have to prepare
for entrance examinations to graduate
schools in Japan, but I will enjoy my lifein the United States while doing mybest to study for the examinations.
2) Editorial Note: This essay was
written in early January 2014.
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Newsletter of International Exchange, Gifu University

Contributors and Cooperators (2011-2013)
Gifu Universityʼs international exchange activities are run with ﬁnancial contributions and cooperation from the below organizations and groups.
Ajinomoto Scholarship Foundation

Kokusai Koryu no WA Kurono

IBIDEN Co.,Ltd.

Soroptimist International of Gifu

INOUE FOUNDATION JAPANSun Messe Co., Ltd.

N-TECHJAPAN PLANTS CO.,LTD

The Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank, Ltd.

The Juroku bank, Ltd.

KITAGATA DRIVING SCHOOL

Sugiyamamecharetro Co.,Ltd.

Gifu Pretectural Environmental Management and Technology Center

Seino Kayou Kanko Bus

Gifu International Center

Paciﬁc Industrial Co., Ltd.

GIA

Taguchi Fukujyukai

Gifu City Seinendan Ex-members

The Korean Scholarship Foundation

Gifu City Oﬃce Commerce and Industry Tourism Department

Nagara Paper Manufacture Co.,Ltd.

The Gifu Shinkin Bank Ltd.

Heartrans Co.Ltd.

Zonta Club of Gifu

Hattori International Scholarship Foundation

Gifu Nagaragawa UNESCO Association

Heiwa Nakajima Foundation

Gifu West Rotary Club

Mitahora Driving School

Gifu East Rotary Club

Mitsubishi Corporation

Gifu Minami Lions Club

Mobile Communication Fund

Gujo Hachiman International Friendship Association

Rotary Yoneyama Memorial Foundation

Interchange Association, Japan

Partners
Gifu University sent international students to exchange activities conducted by the below organizations and groups.
International Cultural & Friendship Association

Gifu Tourism and Local Products Promotion Division, Gifu Prefectural Government

Ichinomiya International Association

Nara Prefecture

NPO Japan Tent Network

Gifu Goodwill Guides Network

Hatsukaichi International Association

Japan-Mongolia Culture Association

Ono Kyodai-kai

GIFU PREFECTURE JAPAN-CHINA FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION

Sepia-kai

The OISCA international

Greater Nagoya Initiative

Flag Art Exhibition

Nagoya Homestay Volunteer Center

Hashima City International Exchange Association

National Institution For Youth Education

We Need Your Support
We would like to ask for your contributions to the Gifu University Fund (for international exchange programs) to improve and developinternational exchange activities at Gifu University. Scholarships for privately ﬁnanced international students, subsidies for researcher
exchanges, scholarships for short-term study abroad programs (outbound), and subsidies for cross-cultural understanding programs aresupported by the Fund. Please visit the website below and get an application form.

Gifu University Fund URL（only in Japanese）：http://www.gifu-u.ac.jp/fund/Donations made to Gifu University qualify as special donations designated by the Minister of Finance (Ministry of Finance Notiﬁcation No. 154, April 30, 1965) under Article
78 (2)-[2] of the Income Tax Act, as well as Article 37 (3)-[2] of the Corporate Tax Act. Such designated donations are eligible for contribution deductions under the Income
Tax Act. They are also recognized by the Minister of Finance as designated donations that are eligible for inclusion in deductible expenses under the Corporate Tax Act.

Edited by：Gifu University Oﬃce for Academic Globalization
International Planning Division■ Email：int̲exch@gifu-u.ac.jp

International Student Aﬀairs Oﬃce
■ Email：direcent@gifu-u.ac.jp
This newsletter is published on the Gifu University website.
URL ： http://www.gifu-u.ac.jp/en/international/newsletter/newsletter.html
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