MEJIROGAKUEN

VOL.50

Mejiro Exchange
Mejiro University (Undergraduate, Postgraduate)
Mejiro University College
Mejiro Kenshin Junior and Senior High School

Mejiro Gakuen
4-31-1 Nakaochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 161-8522 JAPAN
Tel. 03-5996-3131 http://www.mejiro.ac.jp

DEC 2014

Embassy Visits
We are grateful to the staff from the Canadian Embassy and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to offer their time to our students. Here are brief descriptionsof their visits to Mejiro Kenshin.

Students answer questions
during the Canadian Embassy presentation

Students show prizes for answering questions
during the U.S. Embassy presentation

Canadian Embassy Visit
On October 16th, the Junior 2 students andteachers were treated to a special presentationby the Canadian Embassy. This marks the sixth
visit by the Canadian Embassy since 2009.
Mr. Alan Schroeder, Information and Education
Promotion Officer, gave a power point presentationthat taught the students about Canadian history,
culture, geography, language and other interesting
topics. This visit was the perfect opportunity forthe students to learn more about Canada before
their school trip to Vancouver next summer. The
students especially enjoyed the photos and quizfrom the presentation and learned that Canada isa multi-cultural country with people from different
backgrounds. Their image of Canada became
even better because they learned more about
Canada. We are very grateful to Mr. Schroeder for
his visit to our school.

U.S. Embassy Visit
We were very pleased to welcome speakers
from the U.S. Embassy on July 10th to talk to
the high school students and staff. Ms. Fumiko
Mochizuki from the Bureau of Consular Affairs
spoke about many ways to study in the UnitedStates and how to get information from the
Education USA Center. Ms. Elizabeth Lee, Vice
Council, Department of State gave a power
point presentation on the merits of studying in
the United States. She also provided valuableadvice to the high school students on making
choices for their future based on her own
experience. We are very grateful to the speakers
for their visit to our school.

Ms. Haruko Morimoto
Head, International Education Department

Harvard Students Visit Mejiro
On June 23rd, a group of five Harvard college
students visited Mejiro Kenshin Junior andSenior High school to join a senior English classand participate in a cultural exchange. Kindly
welcomed by Ms. Haruko Morimoto, the students
also had the opportunity to meet a numberof other teachers who shared their uniqueexperiences as Americans living in Japan. During
the classroom session, the Harvard students
introduced themselves to the Mejiro Kenshin
students, answered questions the Mejiro students
had about the American college experience, andshowed pictures from their lives at Harvard.
In particular, the Mejiro Kenshin students
were curious about the work ethic required of
students at Harvard and had the opportunity
to ask various questions about study habits.
Additionally, they were interested in the American
students’ reasons for coming to Japan and theirfavorite aspects of the country. The question
and answer session provided the opportunity forthe students from both schools to connect on a
personal level and form nascent friendships—in
fact, some Mejiro Kenshin students intend tovisit the American students at some point in the
future. In the meantime, they hope to be able toreconnect in Japan.
After the question and answer session,groups of Mejiro Kenshin students presented
to the Harvard students on various aspects ofJapanese life and culture such as fashion, food,and security. The Harvard students, most ofwhom had never before visited Japan, found thepresentations interesting and informative; they
were also quite impressed by the facility withwhich the Mejiro Kenshin students were able tospeak English. The Harvard students cordiallythank Ms. Morimoto, the school staff, and ofcourse the Mejiro Kenshin students for being
so warm and hospitable and for providing aunique and unforgettable opportunity for cultural
exchange and international connection.

Mejiro Kenshin students presenting in small
groups to the Harvard students

Grace E. Huckins and Lauren A. Stone
Class of 2016, Harvard University

The Toyosai Festival

The Towasai Festival

My experience taking part in
the school festival was great!
It’s an event most schools holdand it’s a day for the school
to have fun. It was really an
experience unique to Japan.
It was very fascinating to see
all the students work so hard
Tomoki (fourth from left) at the festival
and cooperatively in order towith the Principal, fellow exchange
prepare for this big event. So
students, and host siblings
many people worked hard evenafter school in order to make this day as good as it gets. The day of theactual event was lots of fun, getting to work for my class and getting to
see what all the other classes were doing. Our class was doing a small
Japanese style cultural festival. Other classes sold food, one turned theirclass into a haunted house, and clubs presented themselves to showwhat their club was all about. One of the best experiences for me wasgetting to work for my class. Learning polite Japanese to take care ofcustomers and communicate with them was really great because mostof the Japanese I had used was for talking to friends and family or asa customer myself. My classmates were really helpful, teaching me
how to do things and letting me try many things. Everything was reallyfascinating and was really fun.

I am a member of team “next”
which helps the international
students who come to Mejiro
University to adjust to life inJapan and university. From
October 18th to 19th, there wasan event, named Towasai, which
Visitors line up to purchase food from the team “next” and international
international students and team “next”
students participated in andworked together at. We prepared for it from the day before. We cut
vegetables that could serve up to 300 people. I also made a sign for team"next" and decorated it. We cooked three dishes from three countries:
Korea, China, and Japan. We made Korean food, soojebi, Chinese food,roubing, and Japanese food, “kimochi ball” which is similar to takoyaki,
but with kimchi and cheese. Last year, we were not able to sell muchbecause it rained a lot. However, this year the weather was so nice.
Not only the students but also the people who live nearby came to thefestival. Many people enjoyed our dishes. During the lunch hours, there
were many people waiting in line to order our food. Although it was reallybusy, I was really pleased because our food was so popular and sold out.
The international students also enjoyed the university festival in Japan.
This was my last festival in university, so I was really happy and pleased
to have a great time with the international students and I will not forget
these two days.
Kaho Ishida
4th Year, Department of Child Studies
Mejiro University

Tomoki Kaneko
Sentinel Secondary School

Junior 3 School Trip (Vancouver)

Junior 3 SEC Study Tour (Delta)

I had a special timein Canada. I was very
nervous because it
was my first time to go
abroad. I experienced
a lot of things, for
Saki (left) with her hostexample, making
mother and classmate
yakisoba for my hostfamily, going to the sea, sightseeing and so on.
I cooked yakisoba with my friend. We brought
noodles from Japan, but we bought vegetables andmeat in Canada. My host sister helped us. My hostfamily said it was delicious. We were very happy.
When I went to the sea, the weather was fineso the view was very beautiful. I had a very
good time. Some other places I went to were
Lynn Canyon and Park Royal. I also went to auniversity, an aquarium, and saw fireworks.
The place I enjoyed the most was thesupermarket. It was huge so I was excited, but
all the places that I visited were very good. I reallywant to go to Canada again.
Saki Yoshitome
Junior 3

This summer I went to Canada to study English with my SEC
classmates. I think this was a good experience for me. Before I
left, I was very nervous because I thought my English skill was
not good enough. So I talked with my family and said, “I don’t
want to go to Canada.” I had hoped they would cheer me up,
but they said, “If you don’t go to Canada, you won’t be a good
English speaker. And if you can’t speak English well, you can’t
Yukiha (center) with her classmates
be a global person.” They were very strict with me.
So I went to Canada. At first, I didn’t enjoy life there because everything was new to me. I was reallyconfused. However, I gradually started to enjoy it. There are two reasons for that. One reason is my hostfamily was really kind to me. For example, when I wanted to wash my clothes, I was nervous to ask
them, but they asked me first. So I felt very happy.
The second reason is my classmates talked to me and they were so friendly. Actually, I am very shy so
I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone in my class. But my classmates weren’t shy, so I could
communicate with them. I realized that friendly people can speak English very well. I think it is because
friendly people have a lot of speaking opportunities in English. That is what my parents were trying totell me. I should speak English a lot. If I get a lot of speaking opportunities in English, I can be a global
person. I realized my parents were right after all.
Because of my time in Canada, I can catch what people say in English a lot easier than before. I am still
shy, but I want to be a friendly person. I have many problems to overcome, but I think this experience
made me grow because I became more interested in English. So I want to keep studying English hard.
Yukiha Fujinaga
Junior 3

Senior 2 Kyushu Trip
From October 13th to 17th, we visited Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto, andNagasaki prefectures on our school trip. On this trip, I made a lot of goodmemories and experienced a lot of valuable things with my friends. For
instance, I saw some historic buildings such as Kumamoto Castle, theYoshinogari site, Dejima, and others. However, my favorite place was
Kumamoto Castle because I like the period when it was built.
Kumamoto Castle was built in the 16th century by Kiyomasa Kato, afamous warlord who was an expert at building castles. Kumamoto Castle
was really huge, especially the stone walls. I wondered how they madethose stone walls.
Other things on this trip were also wonderful. The hotels that we stayed at werereally good. I ate a lot of local food and everything
was very delicious. Everything that I did, learned
and experienced made me so happy because
it was my first time going to Kyushu. I will neverforget this fantastic school trip, and if I have thechance, I want to visit Kyushu again. During thesefour days I was able to learn many new things
about my friends so I will treasure the memories I
made on this trip.
Gen Shoda
Senior 2

Gen (left) with hisclassmates in Nagasaki

Studying Abroad in Japan

Victor (center) with his homeroom class

My exchange in Japan was overall a great
experience. A big part of the great experience
was spending time with my homeroom. I spent
my mornings, lunch breaks and a few classes
with Class 1-6. They always made me laugh andsmile and most importantly they made me feel
welcomed. I made many memories there andalso met many friendly people. I will never forget
Mejiro and room 1-6 will always be a part of me.
Victor Uemura
Sentinel Secondary School

Studying Abroad in New Zealand
I went to New Zealand for 10 weeks. I learned
many things while studying abroad.
First, it was very difficult to speak only English
and say my own opinion clearly. Sometimes
I couldn’t communicate what I wanted to say
because I had no confidence in my English
grammar. And, I didn’t know many English
words so I was scared to say anything. But, I
didn’t have to worry about it. My host family,
teachers and friends were very nice to me.
Talking with feeling and not being shy are very
important things when speaking in English.
Second, I gained a newfound gratitude formy family and Japan. While staying in New
Zealand, I thought about my family and wanted
to see them. I now feel grateful, even for thesmall things, my family does for me.
Studying abroad was one of my dreams since I
was a junior high school student so I was glad
to go to New Zealand. I made a lot of sweet

friends there. It was a great opportunity. I’d liketo go to New Zealand again. I’ll never forget thisexperience.
Megumi Iwashita
Senior 1

Megumi (left) with fellow Mejiro students at
Takapuna Grammar School

Studying Abroad in Australia

Maria on her way to school

I went to Tasmania, Australia for two months from
June 28th to September 7th. I had a wonderful
and worthwhile time surrounded by nature andlots of nice people. As soon as I arrived there,
winter vacation had started. During wintervacation I went on a trip with my host family. We
travelled to many famous places in Tasmania:
Anvers Chocolate Factory, Ashgrove Cheese
Factory, the beach called Blowhole in Bicheno,
Tasmazia, which is a huge maze that looks like theone in Harry Potter, and a museum called MONA.
We went to MONA by ferry and it was great.
My host family loved food. I learnt that there areso many kinds of pastas and olives from goingto a lot of Italian shops. My host father is British.
He used to work as a tour guide so he knowsa lot about Tasmania. He always told me about
Tasmania. I really liked the time I spent with him
because it was very fun and valuable. My hostmother is a nurse. She is from the Philippines so
she can speak Tagalog. She is a heartwarming
person who was very nice to me. Christina, myhost sister, is one year younger than I, but she's areliable person. She was really sweet and I can't
wait to see her again.
At Ogilvie I made many friends and I had an
extraordinary time. Every teacher treated me likeevery other student, which made me happy. I took
math, science, English, Japanese, cooking, art,and P.E/health study. My favorite was art because
each student was able to use many kinds ofmaterials. It was a great opportunity for me.
In many of the classes, students watched movies
then had a discussion or wrote a report about
what they thought about the movie. Through theseclasses I discovered that students can learn different
ways of thinking and gain a wider view of the world.
During the time I spent in Japanese class, I foundout that there are many students who have aninterest in Japan. I felt very happy to know that.
I really appreciate this program because it gave
me a chance to think in a different perspective
and also make many special friends. I don't
want to waste this experience so I'll study
harder and try to become a bridge to peace.
Maria Hirabayashi
Senior 2

Megumi (second from right) withfellow Mejiro student and host sisters

I went to Brisbane for two months. At first I
was very worried about studying abroad, but
my host family talked to me with a smile so myworries soon disappeared. I found something
new every day which made my time there very
fulfilling. It was winter in Brisbane although it
was summer in Japan. I thought Brisbane wasgoing to be very cold, but it has a mild climate
so sometimes I felt it was hot in the afternoon. I
was very surprised by this.
My host family was very kind. When I talked
with them, they tried hard to understand myEnglish. It made me very happy. My host sister
was a very good girl. She always helped me.
When I started school, I was very nervous abouttalking with the other students, but everyone wasvery kind to me and I made friends. They were very
interested in Japan. I was very happy. I felt being
interested in other countries is very important. I wasvery happy to be accepted by everyone.

I was shy in Japan and did not readily talk withthe exchange students at Mejiro. Now that I havestudied abroad, I am very glad when they talkto me. Surely, I think that other foreign students
think so, too. I feel that it is really important to talkto various foreign students and I want to have agood relationship with them in the future.
I will never forget my time in Brisbane.

Megumi Hanabusa
Senior 2
I studied abroad inAustralia. There weresome differences
between Australia andJapan. I was surprisedthat students eat lunch
outside and move from
Rikako (right) enjoyingclassroom to classroom.
a drink with fellow
I participated in St.
Mejiro student
Aloysius’s sports day. I
did the discus and triple jump. I got fifth andeighth place so I got a ribbon. It was very exciting.
I went to Adelaide Show with my friend. We
rode many carnival rides. They looked very
dangerous, but they were very fun. And wewatched a 9D movie. Many soap bubbles andwater came flying at us. It was very exciting.
My school is a Christian school so they pray
every day. I didn’t know the words, so I couldn’t
say the prayers but I participated in Christianmeetings. Students and teachers prayed andsang songs. I had not participated in a Christianmeeting before so it was interesting.
I went to a big shopping mall called Rundle
mall. I bought clothes and food there. I drank
Chinese bubble tea many times. The bubble
tea shop was very popular so it was always
crowded. It was very good.
Living abroad was a challenge, but I learned alot of English. I had a great time.
Rikako Kasai
Senior 1

Power English
I went to University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada for Power
English last year. I recommend going to UBC for three reasons. First, Canadianfood is tasty and you can get any kind of food you like, for example, fish andchips, seafood, or steak. You can even eat Japanese food in Canada if you
like. We ate sushi, ramen, miso soup and so on. I think they have almost thesame taste as in Japan. The servings of all food there are voluminous andyou will absolutely be satisfied with them. Second, Vancouver has some greatsightseeing spots. We went to Inukshuk, Grouse Mountain, the Capilano
Suspension Bridge, and much more. I recommend going to the Capilano
Suspension Bridge because it is surrounded by nature and you can see anawesome view. Third, we got to experience some fun and interesting events,

for instance, a Halloween party and shoppingon Black Friday. We enjoyed both of them. We
wore costumes to the Halloween party and were
surprised that everyone, even the teachers worea costume. In conclusion, Canada has nice food,great sightseeing places and interesting events.
Shogo Saito
3rd year, Department of English Language Studies
Mejiro University

The Capilano
Suspension Bridge

Wonderful Days
I had a really great experiencein California. I went to the U.S.
during summer vacation withother classmates. I was worried
before I went, but everyone
was friendly and kind. I felt
comfortable when I arrived in
California because it was lesshumid there than in Japan. Also,
it didn’t rain at all. I stayed in a
Ryo (front left) with friends in California
dormitory for a month. There
were many Korean students. All of the Korean students were older thanme, so I was able to make a lot of big brothers there. We treated themto Japanese food, such as curry and okonomiyaki. I was so sad at theirfarewell ceremony because I wanted to be with them more. To my joy oneof them gave me a present.

I was able to learn about English grammar that I didn’t know in class.
Furthermore, my speaking improved because I had a lot of opportunities
to speak English outside of class. The school assistants took us to funplaces such as Hollywood and Santa Monica. Watching a Dodgers game
was impressive. It was my first time to see a baseball game. We wore
uniforms and cheered for the players.
Finally, I felt sad parting with them on my return date. I thought that one
month was too short. When I came back to Japan, I felt lonely because
I’m an only child and my roommates were like brothers to me. Throughmy experience studying abroad, I learned to cherish my connections
with others. I’ll never forget my life in California. It was an irreplaceable
experience for me.

University Life in JapanMy Experiences in Japan

When I chose Japanese as my major atuniversity in France, my wish was to study
abroad in Japan for at least a semester or year.
So after my graduation in June 2014, I made thedecision to study abroad, as I had wished, for
one year and I was accepted by Mejiro University
Clementine (front left) withand started my studies in JALP (Japanese
her classmates and teacher
Language Program) in September 2014.
It was not hard for me to adapt myself to the Japanese lifestyle because it's
my fourth time in Japan but it's my first time to stay more than two months.
After the placement test I was placed in the N3 level class. Since I graduateduniversity in Japanese language and culture in France, class isn't too difficult
for me. My favorite class is “Understanding Japan”, where we study about
Japanese culture. It's really interesting because I learn a lot of things and theclass is held entirely in Japanese so we can improve our comprehension.
I chose to study in a university because I wanted to be able to meet Japanese
students. At Mejiro University you have two ways to meet people. First, you canhang around in the "Terrace" where everyone eats. There are always people whowill talk to you, and thanks to them you can meet even more people. Second, with
the international center you can have a partner for a tutorial session. For one houra week you can talk with your partner who wants to learn your mother language
and you will learn Japanese. We talk about each other’s culture, travel andlanguage. It's a good way to make Japanese friends and improve your Japaneseskills. For me the most important thing is to have a student life. It means that you
need to make Japanese friends, and to speak Japanese when you're not in class.
In my opinion, this is the better way to progress because you can hear natural
Japanese that you can use in conversation. It's only been two months that I havebeen studying in Japan and I want to meet even more people during my year here.
I hope I will be able to make a lot of good memories at Mejiro University.

I came to Japan in March to study
Japanese, but this wasn’t my firsttime to come to Japan. I first traveled
to Japan for one week in 2011. My
next visit was quite long. I worked in a
hotel in Nagano for 8 months. I could
learn a lot about hotel affairs. Now I
am in Japan again! Actually, my major
Gahui (middle row, second from left) is not Japanese, it is English.
with friends from the Department of At the beginning of my first semester
Korean Language Studies
at Mejiro University, I met a teacher
who belongs to the Department of Korean Language Studies. She
wanted me to be an assistant in her class. I was lucky because I could
make Japanese friends there and get a chance to hang around with otherstudents. They were so kind to me and helped me study Japanese. In
addition, I could make friends in my department, not only my classmates
but also other students from my whole year.
By the middle of the semester I began to get busy. I had almost 3 or 4
presentations a week, and sometimes even in one day. Also, I had other
homework. I didn’t have much time to play or look around Tokyo and I
couldn’t participate in a school club. This is the one thing which is sadabout my life at Mejiro University.
Not everyone has the same schedule as me. I heard that I am the first duel
degree student to major in the Department of English Language Studies, so I
don’t want to disappoint anyone. Most of all, I want to study hard for myself
and I want to make my time at Mejiro University worthwhile.
Jo Gahui
3rd Year, Department of English Language Studies, Mejiro University
Duel Degree Program, Honam University

Clementine Harle
Japanese Language Program (JALP)
Mejiro University

Ryo Sato
3rd year, Department of English Language Studies
Mejiro University

VOL. 50 DEC 2014

Mejiro Exchange is published biannually by Mejiro Gakuen.
Views expressed in the ME do not necessarily reflect thoseof Mejiro Gakuen. Comments and submissions invited.