Today we’d like to introduce “@home,” one of the student circles at
Tohoku University. It was founded 16 years ago with the aim of organizing
events for both Japanese and non-Japanese students. We had a chance to talk
with a sophomore physics major, Arihiro Kamada, who led the planning and organization of the
most recent event, an udon (wheat noodle) making party.
“The number of active members is about 30 people plus new 50
freshmen,” Arihiro says. The members get together every week to discuss the
content of events which are carried out every month. This meeting is a good
occasion for members to catch up with each other as well. Every event is
planned to show interesting Japanese culture to foreign students, and make it a
place for international exchange. When asked about which event had the highest
number of participants and was enjoyed the most, Arihiro said the “Christmas
Party” without hesitation. “At the venue a jazz band played music, and the
atmosphere was great, although I was too busy working behind the scenes to
enjoy it,” he recalled.
On May 12th, the udon making party was carried out at Kitayama
Shimin Center close to University House Sanjo (the Tohoku University students’
dorm). Out of 20 participants, 10 people were international students. For most
of participants, it was the first time to make udon noodles from scratch, and
they were very excited to press the dough with their feet, roll out it, and cut
it finely to make noodles. The event was much appreciated and the noodles tasted
great. They also experienced Origami folding by making flying carps and
Japanese helmets (called kabuto) that are characteristic decorations for May in
Japan.
When it comes to student circles related to the humanities, some may have the impression that they are less active without much to do compared with sports-related ones. “@home” is, however, always filled with ideas and activities with various people. “All foreign students can be members of @home too,” Arihiro added at the end of our conversation.
