CULTURE CORNERTRADITIONAL CUSTOMSIN JAPANESE NEW YEAREATING SOBA WITH FAMILY（としこしそば）

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It is almost that time of the year where fireworks areheard throughout the world, while some spend this timeenjoying the night out, others enjoy staying at homewith their loved ones. Different countries have different
ways to celebrate their new years and of course Japan
has its own customs. After a year of hard work, Japanese people would return to their hometown to spend
their new years with their families. One of the new yearcustoms in Japan is to eat some soba on the 31st ofDecember with the family at home, either by cooking itthemselves or ordering it. The history of this custom
stems from the idea that soba is long and therefore byeating the soba their life will become longer and healthier like the soba noodle.
EATING TRADITIONAL MEAL OSECHI（おせち）On the 1st of January, another custom that Japanese people follow is eating a traditional meal called “おせち” which looks similar to a bento. However, thedifference between おせち and bento is that the former
contains a lot of different types of food and all thesefoods have their own meanings. One of the first おせち
was made to thank god for a good harvest of that timeof the year, however, as time passes by the tradition
becomes more generic, and slowly people decided toeat the traditional meal on the most important day of
the year which was decided to be on the 1st of January.
VISITING SHRINE（はつもうで）
After welcoming the New Year, another common
tradition for Japanese people is to visit the shrine.
Praying for happiness for the upcoming year is thereason to go the shrine and while being there, people
usually visit the fortune telling area where they would
pick out a “おみくじ”, which is basically a fortune telling
paper that is provided by the shrine. If you are alreadyliving in Japan, then why not experiencing this uniqueculture of the Japanese by doing the activities listed
above in the upcoming new year.

GERMANY-A MIDDLE EUROPEAN COUNTRYSOMETHING YOU HAVE TO KNOW

General Information

Germany is located in the very Center of Europe, surrounded by(going from the west to the east): Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium,
Luxemburg, France, Swiss, Austria, Tschech Republic and Poland. As
Germany consist of 16 states, it’s officially called Federal Republic ofGermany. Germany also has two coasts divided by the very north state
Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. The Western Part of the German
coast boarders to the North Sea with its famous riptides and wattenmeer
and in the east to the east sea. In the North Sea there are several
islands, belonging to Germany as well. The biggest of the islands arecalled Sylt and Norderney.
The total area of Germany is about 340,000 km2, with a population ofabout 82 million (2017). The capital is Berlin, located in the east and first
third of the country. The largest 4 Cities of Germany are (from north tosouth, 2015): Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne and Munich.
2History
Germany has a vivid history from the old tribes to Roman
Empire consisting of many small kingdoms, which then became
todays states after WW II, several Wars, Weimar Republic,
dictatorship under Hitler, Division of East and West and its
reunion. Germany is most famous for its bread culture, beer
brewed after the Reinheitsgebot, soccer, cars and no speed
limit on its highways. And yes, we also eat potatoes and manyvarieties of sausages, but not as much as you might think.

CultureIt’s important to know, that Germany has a quite different
culture looking from the north to the south. Moreover, every city
has its own vibes. But especially Berlin is worth to be visited.
Furthermore, there is the North Sea with its wattenmeer being anational park under nature conservation (best in summer),woods in the south and the alps, the Oktoberfest held in September!! and the Cologne Cathedral and Karneval of Cologne inFebruary. When you are in Germany, you definitely have to eata Berlin Currywurst and a Döner. Around Christmas time you
should visit a Christmas Market and drink there some hotwine/Glühwein or Feuerzangenbowle.

KYUSHU UNIVERSITY

EAST ZONE AND THE NEW CENTRAL ZONEIn Sept 2018, Kyushu University has announced the completion of East zone and the newCentral Zone, which in together, make up the new integrated Ito campus.

DID YOU KNOW?!
# After 30 years of its decision of relocation of campuses, the moving processof 2 campuses and 1 university farm
has finally accomplished.
3# With the completed relocation, ItoCampus is now one of the largest university campuses in Japan with 2.5km longand 3km wide, covering an area of over
272 hectares, with shuttles buses available to take users to each area of thecampus.

THE NEW EAST ZONEThe East Zone not only accommodates Kyushu University’s faculties of humanities, and social
sciences or the Central Library but it is also home to some interesting places available forstudents. Its completion marks the final stage of the university’s relocation to Ito campus.

INTERESTING PLACES IN EAST ZONE
1. THE EXHIBITION AND OBSERVATION ROOM OFISHIGAHARA TUMULUS
Ishigahara Tumulus as well as information on ruins andancient tombs located in Ito campus are exhibited here. Fromthe observation deck, you can also enjoy the panoramic viewof the Center and West Zones and sometimes the ocean andFukuoka Tower!
2. THE EAST ZONE EXTERIOR DESIGN
The colorful carpet-like exterior of East Zone resembles the5 beautiful colours of the traditional Hakata-Ori textile
patterns and it might become the next photogenic spot of thecampus!!
3. THE ESCALATORS CONNECTING THE CENTRALLIBRARY TO EAST-1 AND EAST-2 BUILDINGS
Owning the only escalators in the whole campus, the escalators bring you from the ground floor to the rooftop of the Central Library in no time (4 levels). Do take note that the escalators are always ascending; which means you have to climb
down by yourself!!

UNIVERSITY CORNER

THE NEW KYUSHU UNIVERSITYCENTRAL LIBRARY

The central library has made its grand opening on 1 Oct 2018. Having a collection of morethan 2.6 million books, it becomes the largest university library in Japan!!

DID YOU KNOW!?
1. ADJUSTABLE TABLES
With more than 1400 seats in the library, the new Central
Library is meant to make every user feel comfortable, and thisincludes table in which its height can be adjusted according toits user’s preference with just one button.
2. AUTOMATED STORAGE RETRIEVAL SYSTEM (ASRS)The ASRS service helps librarians to locate your requested
books at their fingertips as the system will auto-detect thelocation of the book, retrieve it and bring it to the designatedspot. So, do not hesitate to request the book that you want on
the library database and let the system does the searching foryou!!
3. COLOR CODING FOR EACH FLOOR
Some frequent users of the library might have actually foundout but the color marked on the shelves and sofas tells you thefloor where you are right now.
4F: Red; 3F: Yellow; 2F: Green; 1F: BlueKUFSA 2019-2020

TENURE RECRUITMENTKUFSA invites International and Japanese
students in Kyushu University to build the dynamic
Executive Committee for the next tenure
2019-2020 together ! This is your stage ! Scan theQR code to apply and join us! Lets make an amazing new year together !

4EMBRACE AUTUMNENJOY THE AUTUMN MEMEORY
Autumn is one of the best seasons to explore Japan. KUFSA did not miss the chance to bring joy to its
members. Therefore, on the 4th of November 2018, we organized the trip with the theme “EmbraceAutumn”. Saga prefecture was the destination as we visited Saga city and Karatsu.

1. Kankyo Geijutsu No Mori Park
This park is located at the bottom of Mt. Sarai (887 meters tall) in
Kyuragi-machi, which is surrounded by a rich natural environment.
Here you can enjoy walking and viewing red and yellow coloredautumn leaves around mid-November.
Access

515 minutes from JR Kyuragi Station

2. Karatsu Castle
Karatsu Castle was built in 1608. This castle is located facing thesea, in the northern part of Karatsu City. It is also known as Maizuru(Dancing Crane) Castle. It stands beside Karatsu Bay, and is unusual since the stonework rises directly out of the water, using the ocean
as a natural moat. It is a medium-size castle surrounded by cherrytrees and Wisteria flowers that bloom in spring.
Access 20 minutes walk or 5 minutes taxi ride from JR Chikuhi
Line Karatsu Station

3. Karatsu Kunchi FestivalKaratsu Kunchi is an autumn festival held every year in autumn
between the 2nd and 4th of November. On the evening of the 2nd thefestival begins from the Yoiyama, continuing on the 3rd with the Otabishoshinko before the festival takes to the streets of Karatsu on the4th. During this festival, heroic men carry around a hikiyama (types offloat) each of them is unique and holds its own meaning.
Access5 minutes’ walk from JR Chikuhi Line Karatsu Station

4. Saga Balloon Fiesta Night Mooring
The Saga International Balloon Fiesta is an international hot airballoon competition held in Saga City in autumn every year. The event
takes place in extensive areas throughout the mid-western part of theSaga Plain, centering on the Kase Riverside. It is the largest of its kindin Asia.
Access 5 minutes via the JR Nagasaki Main Line from Saga
Station, or a 10 minutes’ walk from the Balloon Saga Station.

Do you know that according to Japan Seismic Hazard Information Station (J-SHIS), Fukuoka hasaround 7% chance of major earthquake within 30 years? This number seems small compared toTokyo area (70% chance in 30 years), however, it does not necessarily mean that Fukuoka is a safer
place. Be prepared and don’t panic when an earthquake occurs! Here are some tips of what to do
during an earthquake.

EARTHQUAKE PREVENTION
THINGS TO PREPARE AND DO1)
Prepare yourselves! It’s recommended to gather everything you need in case of emergency into an emergency bag. Here is a list of things you should prepare:62)
If you’re inside a room when an earthquake occurs, do not run
outside! Most buildings in Japan are earthquake-resistant and fallingdebris during earthquake are some common causes of injury. Instead,try to avoid anything that may fall (bookcase, ceiling light, etc.), takecover under a table or a desk, and wait until the vibration stops. Afterthe earthquake stops, turn off all electricity and gas and head to theevacuation area.
3)
Stay alerted! There is an app called “safety tips” that gives you
early notifications of disasters and the evacuation instruction as well.
This app is available in English and can be downloaded in both Apple
store and Android playstore.

EXTRA TIPS

You can visit a disaster prevention center to experience many
types of disasters such as earthquake and tsunami, as well as tolearn more about things to do in such events. KUFSA is going tohave a trip to Fukuoka Disaster Prevention Center by the beginning of next year, so stay tuned and make sure you don’t miss it!

KUFSATENURE
2018-2019
MEMBERS
From top-left
Clockwise
Ghazian, Yoshi, Jihed,Hazim(Previous President),Steven(President),
Shota, Thierry (VicePresident), Son, Inggird,Rory, Tomoyo, Yuki,Tracy, Simon, Satomi,Raad, Oybek, Duc,Jihyun, Natanael,Houda, Fang

KUFSA MONTHLY

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
NOV . 2018

“When the whole world
thinks that only spring is thebest time to visit Japan, weexploredJapaneseautumn. And actually I
found it even more attractive with brilliant autumn
colors and incredibly pleasant weather.”

Very glad to win the prize
for the second time lol. It’s
not my first time in Saga
but it was really the bestexperience I had there not
only for maples but also
because of the balloon
festival. Looking forward tonext events from KUFSA!!

@Bookwormdi, Instagram@Isabellawuu1997, Twitter"A pose like a popular heroat Karatsu Castle" @Nayeen Al Amin, Facebook@Nehlah Rosli, Instagram

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEDESIGN AND LAYOUT

Tracy Lim
Liu Yuqi
Nakajima Yoshihiko

Liu Yuqi