Summer School 2014

Tohoku University invited high school teachers and prospective students to Future Global Leadership (FGL) Summer School again this year, from the 4th to 6th of August. 21 Participants joined the event from 7 high schools in China, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

During the three-day program, participants got detailed information on Tohoku University, FGL courses, the application process, and even the city of Sendai.

On the 2^nd and 3^rd day, participants took a tour of the labs in each faculty of the FGL program: the Advanced Molecular Chemistry Course (AMC), Applied Marine Biology Course (AMB) and International Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Course (IMAC-U).

This is one of the labs in AMB. Students are working on research in the field of Integrative Aquatic Biology.

Students also learnt Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana). This Ikebana class was taught by Prof. Chen. She is a professor of Nanomechanics in the School of Engineering of our university!

Thank you so much for joining the event. See you again!

Student interview: Lailatul Binti of IMAC-U

 Lailatul Binti from Malaysia used to go to a different university where she was majoring in a different subject. However, she decided to get back to her original dream one year ago, and applied for universities which have aeronautical engineering faculties. 
“I found that there were two such universities in Japan, Tohoku and Kyushu, but eventually I chose Tohoku University because of its character,” she said. By character, she meant the “research-oriented” aspect of the university. “I was attracted by that so I submitted application materials, and thanks to God I’m here!” she laughed.

  After graduating from a local high school, Lailatul went on to the matriculation course of the University of Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur. There, she studied hard to prepare for university education for one year, and later became a student of UM majoring in actuarial science. When asked about the reaction of her parents to her change of mind, she said “they were not surprised. Now I am in the same grade as my younger brother, but it’s good. We share a lot of talk since he majors in electrical engineering, another faculty of engineering.”
 She has always made much effort when it comes to studying her favorite subjects, such as mathematics, from an early age. This way, she figured out what suits and does not suit her. So now Lailatul has a picture of the days ahead: she wants to continue her research at Tohoku University until acquiring a Ph.D, and become an engineer in the field of aeronautics.

 She saw snow for the first time in her life in Sendai. “When I saw snow in the light at night, it was so beautiful.” In fact, it snowed so much in many Japanese places in February that it set an all-time high record since observations began. Sendai was not an exception: the city awoke to more than 35cm of snow on the morning of February 9th. Sendai is famous for having snow every year but it had never snowed so much all at once. So this year’s snow is unusual. She is now enjoying her spring vacation in Malaysia, but must bring a lot of winter clothes to Sendai!

 The FGL students so far are from 13 countries, but Lailatul is the first Malaysian student to be accepted to the FGL program. Having been in Sendai for six months, she really wants to recommend Malaysian students apply for Tohoku University. She said with a smile that, “Sendai is so beautiful and safe. I love this city. The area damaged by the earthquake is limited now. If not, why are there people here? Be positive!”

Happy 2014!!

The new year of 2014 has started. The university reopened this week, and students started to prepare for the semester-end exams and final papers. In the high schools, there is a tense atmosphere as students have entered the season of university entrance exams. On January 18 and 19, the National Center Test for University Admissions will be held across Japan. It is a standardized national exam that must be taken by applicants who wish to enter governmental universities, and Tohoku University will be one of the test venues.

In Japan, people who have something they wish strongly to achieve usually go to shrines and pray for success. There are also people who visit shrines to ask for perfect health and safety for family members. For such people, there will be an annual event on the evening of January 14. It will be at Oosaki Hachimangu Shrine. The name of the event is “Matsutaki Matsuri.” It is a kind of bonfire festival. The shrine is not far from Kawauchi Campus, so Tohoku University students can easily attend the event. There, you can encounter an intense fire of tremendous scale made by burning New Year’s decoration, talismans and so on. Legend has it that your mind and body will be cleansed if you stand close to the fire.

Just before ignition

After the ignition (photo from 2013)

 Sometimes it is hard to tell shrine from temple, but the fundamental difference is that while temples are associated with heaven after death, shrines are associated with life on earth. We wish you a happy new year for 2014!

Ingredients for hometown dishes

 Recently, traditional Japanese food was added to the World Heritage list. Many international students at Tohoku University eventually come to enjoy various Japanese dishes, and try to cook them later. However, it is natural that they miss special foods from their hometowns once in a while. Since there are more than 10,000 foreigners in Sendai (according to the statistics published by the City of Sendai), there are multiple places where you can buy imported items here. You can even buy vegetarian food in Sendai too!

Jupiter

 The first shop we'll introduce is Jupiter, on the first floor of Sendai Station. This is basically a coffee specialty store, but it goes beyond that. The cheese section and sweets area are especially well-stocked, and there are many products imported from Europe. You can also find various dried goods, some of which are originally made by the shop. You can find not just dried fruits such as mango, raisins and tomatoes, but also dried ginger and sour plums.

 The second shop is Satoh Shoukai (Satoh & Co., Ltd. in English, サトー商会 in Japanese). 

 This shop is suitable for halal food eaters, and Muslim students often purchase halal chicken at this shop. It specializes in goods for use by professionals, so all goods come in large portions at low prices. You can find lots of frozen food with a long shelf life there.

Satoh Shokai

 The last shop is KALDI which you can find at two places in Sendai. This is also a coffee specialty shop, but it also has interesting spices, condiments and seasonings necessary for Asian dishes. Indian curry and Chinese dishes can be perfectly cooked if you buy a full set of ingredients there.

 There is a shop with imported items close to University House Sanjo (where 1^st and 2^nd-year students reside), but why don’t you occasionally go out and shop downtown to enjoy a change of pace?

KALDI

Fund-raising by international students for the Philippines

The sight of the aftermath in the Philippines broke our heart. When looking at the images of people suffering after the typhoon, we grieve the fact that countless people suddenly lost everything, and that there is no food, clean water or medicine at all.

In Sendai, international students at Tohoku University decided to make a collective effort for them: they stood on the street and raised money for the Philippines. In fact, various companies and foundations in Sendai are working on raising funds for repairing typhoon damage in the Philippines. Having experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Sendai City Office also raised money in November, and sent it through the Japan Red Cross Society. We cannot ignore the disaster victims!

Getting settled in Sendai

 Welcome to Tohoku University!

On September 20th, new FGL students arrived from eight countries and began a new life in Sendai City. For the majority of them, it is their first time to come to Japan, let alone living here!
But they have no time to be wondering about residence registration, application for National Health Insurance, opening bank accounts and so on. School will start on October 1st, so there is not much time left for preparation.

Early Summer Events in Sendai

In May, there are famous annual events in Sendai. One is the “Sendai International Half Marathon” which was held on May 12.

This year, the number of participants was 12,874. There were four types of race: 2 km, 5 km, and 21.0975 km for both wheelchair users and general runners. The 2 km course was mainly for children and the elderly. 

Just as the title of the event says, there were various runners from all over the world, and the first prize went to Mr. Mekubo Job Mogus from Kenya. Sidney Olympics gold medalist Ms. Naoko Takahashi also participated in the event as a guest runner. The roadside was crowded with cheering people, some of whom were dancing and beating drums on Jozenji Street.

A week later, those dancing people appeared again in central Sendai thanks to the Aoba Festival, another annual event in May. The original one dates back to 1655, but at one point about 40 years ago the festival was cancelled because of transportation conditions. However, it made a comeback in 1985 after more than 10 years of absence. The main features are people dancing suzume odori—"dance of the sparrow" in English—and competition amongst various groups. Some of them are workers from certain companies, and some are neighborhood children, female volunteers and so on.

You will be able to enjoy many events in the City of Sendai as the season gets warmer. There is no way you could miss them!

The Tohoku University Botanical Gardens

Sendai is known for its greenery, and the Tohoku University Botanical Gardens, located on the south side of Kawauchi campus, is one of the reasons why. This facility consists of a botanical museum, gardens, and well-maintained walking trails that wind through a scenic woods. Tohoku University students can enter the grounds free of charge during business hours by showing their Student ID Cards at the ticket counter.

The grounds are planted with various flowers and  scenic plants

The Botanical Gardens were established in 1958, but the history of this land goes back much farther. The woods were originally part of the grounds of Aoba Castle, and have been kept in more or less the same condition since 1600. However, they contain stone monuments, pictured at right, that are much older, dating back to the 13^th and 14^th centuries. 

Following the trails into the woods, you may feel
that you have become lost in a Tolkien novel!

There are various signs on the trails providing useful or interesting information. For example, signs on the trees tell you the species name in Japanese and English (below left). Signposts on the path (below right) show you an overall view of the trails. The number in the red circle indicates which signpost you are standing at, while the red X's  indicate trails that are currently closed. The below right photo was taken at signpost 5, as you can see on the map.

If you follow the trail upwards for awhile, you will reach the below recreation area. It has many shady places to sit and is a perfect spot for a picnic. There is also a second entrance/exit near here.

The Tohoku University Botanical Gardens are a perfect place to relax and stretch your legs. Please take advantage of your free admission to enjoy them!

Hours: 9AM to 5PM (gates close at 4PM)

Days: Open every day except Monday*

Access: See Kawauchi Campus Map 

(Park will be closed for the winter from November 30)

*Unless Monday is a national holiday, in which case it will be closed on the following day.

Sakura Season!

The season for cherry blossoms has finally come. Sakura, which means cherry blossoms in Japanese, is becoming a known word worldwide these days. In major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, and areas further south, the season arrives three weeks earlier than the Tohoku area. Since cherry petals usually fall in a week or so, most of them in southern areas have already fallen by now.  This proves Japan’s profoundly long north-south geographical length.

If you walk a few blocks from Tohoku University’s Kawauchi Campus, now you can find many trees bearing pink petals. The contrast of colors—blue and pink—looks perfectly uplifting when the sky is clear. 

In fact, many students of student circles plan “cherry-blossom-viewing” parties to welcome the freshmen in April. Some of the best places for that are Nishi-Park and Tsutsujigaoka-Park. Nishi-Park is within walking distance from Kawauchi Campus, and stage shows are held there for those who would like to sing songs during sakura season.

Tsutsujigaoka-Park is famous for “weeping cherry trees,” whose long braches dangle and sway in the wind. It is very close to Sendai Station, so the park fills with people who travel all the way from far places.

Every year around this time, there are reports that quite a few people binge-drink while viewing sakura, and are taken to hospital due to alcohol poisoning. Some of them end up dying. So please enjoy the sakura, but we advise you to avoid drinking if you are underage, or drink in moderation if you are an adult!

Vegalta Sendai

One thing many university students enjoy about Sendai is the active sports scene. The city boasts three professional teams: Vegalta Sendai (soccer), the Rakuten Golden Eagles (baseball) and the Sendai 89ers (basketball).
Recently a women's football club, Vegalta Sendai Ladies, was also founded.

 Here you can see a soccer match unfolding between Vegalta Sendai and Ventforet Kofu from Yamanashi. 




(Click the pictures to view full size)





                                                                                  

The game ended in a draw, 1-1.
In addition to watching sports at one of Sendai's modern stadiums, many Tohoku University students enjoy playing sports. The university has numerous sports clubs, which international students are eligible to join.

See you on the pitch! 






--
Photos by Chihiro Ishida

Sendai's Pageant of Starlight

Christmas is almost here. In Japan, as in many other countries, Christmas is a secular event. Bustling areas are usually illuminated with decorative lights during this season, and Sendai is no exception.

Decorated with bright lights in Christmas colors, Sendai's parks and streets become busy with people who look forward to this annual event every night during this season. This illumination event is called the “Pageant Of Starlight,” and has been carried out here by volunteer and civil groups for the last 26 years.

Every year, groups of international students take to the streets for this occasion, and feel embraced by the warm glow of this special time of year.





A Day in the Life of an Economics Department Student

Ms. Dan Li

Today, I want to show you one “day in my life” so that it may provide some direct information about an foreign student’s daily life in Tohoku University.

At first, I would like to show you my dorm. I live in the International House of Tohoku University, it is one of the students‘ dormitory. I strongly suggest you live here as there are lots of activities going on this place. You can always get information in time and keep contact with other students. 

On the Air with Lily Noriko

Last month, I was invited for a radio talk by a very charming lady. Lily Noriko runs a weekly program for FM76.2 where she invites students from various parts of the world to come and speak about their countries. The radio show gave very interesting insight as to how radio show operations work here in Sendai, where people love Western Music although English is scarcely spoken. Students who would like to appear for the radio show can get in touch with her. She will be most happy to find out more about you. 


LILY Noriko is a resident of Sendai city Japan. After having graduated from university, she worked as a high school English teacher for six years, and then decided to change her job. Her aim was to become a professional Japanese/English interpreter. 


She gained experience as a freelance interpreter through working as secretariat of The EXPO 2005 in Aichi, international conference management, English office work, trade office work and in-house interpreting and translation. Finally, she has started her own enterprise from the year 2010 by the name “Lily’s TranSupport”. 


Most of her interpreting fields are related to administration of justice and computer. In addition to these, press related, lecture meeting of educational and linguistics course, business meetings. Besides, she works as a radio personality (FM76.2) and a part-time teacher of university. 


More information about  Lily-san can be found here:
http://www.lilys-transupport.jp/


-----
text by
Samantha Marbaniang

Sendai: A Special Place

The university in autumn

Sendai is a very special place. What makes Sendai a brilliant place to experience is that it does not have too much of everything or too little of anything. Just perfect and soothing for a good student life, and a good visit. It is for certain not in danger of radioactive upsets, a misconception which came into existence after the Fukushima nuclear leak. Getting to and around the city is not a problem even if your Japanese language skills are zilch. The buses make announcements in the English language too. To my surprise, unlike busy cosmopolitan cities like Tokyo where the people are more than uptight, the people in Sendai are exceedingly friendly and accommodating, which is what we know of the Japanese people in history. Attempt to learn the Japanese word for saying thank you before you arrive here. Arigatō gozaimasu. It will be very helpful. Although most locals prefer to communicate in the Japanese language, the irony is that I stumbled into many shops and restaurants playing western music in the background. If you ever find yourself lost someplace, ask for help, since the locals will go out of their way to direct you.

First snow of the year

The economics of the city habitually rotates around Sendai Eki, or Sendai Station. Most of the trains and buses start and end their journey from there. If you enjoy walking, this city is perfect. It has many coffee shops, book shops, beautiful gardens, lakes, and rivers within the city. Cycling is a common mode of transport. It is very easy to get away from the city to nearby places like Matsushima, where you get to see the most beautiful sunrise, Yamagata, to experience the onsens (hot springs), paragliding, and skiing. There are more beautiful regions around Tohoku to visit. Sendai is beautiful throughout the year, with the snowfall, cherry blossoms, and brown autumns. It also has the famous Minami Sanriku Kinkazan Quasi-National Park. You will barely encounter dustbins within Sendai, however you will barely encounter garbage too... the secret is to carry your garbage home and not to accidentally spill it on the road. :-). You will find the public bathrooms very enduring and shocking if you are not use to toilets with electronic buttons next to you. When you press any of them, they will perform your royal duties for you. Over all, if you do visit Japan, Tohoku (Northeast) of Japan is a region you should consider. You will find lots of information on the internet.


--
Text and photos by
Samantha Marbaniang

Beauty and Talent Festa in the middle of February!

On February 12, Tohoku University Ko-Haku 2012 Winter Festival was the hottest event of the winter. The most talented and creative students of the University performed on the stage, singing, dancing, acting, and posing to celebrate the New Year, to heat up Sendai winter, dedicating their performances to everyone, who had gone through the tough year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and, shouting out to the world, that we, in Tohoku, are here, living, studying, and having fun!

This is the second year of the Festival and the name of the event "Ko-Haku" is similar to one of the most popular New Year's TV Shows in Japan, a concert-battle between the brightest stars of Japanese show industry with the ladies performing in the Red Team (KO) and men performing in the White team (Haku). The Tohoku University Ko-Haku Festival was more than a singers battle, although it was also judged by the professional judges – the University professors (how much more professional could it get J ). It was a complete Talent Show, reflecting what the students of one of the top Universities in Japan can do besides studying. The show was spiced up by the traditional Japanese, Indonesian, Malay dances, street dance , musical shows, A-capella concert, crazy Vocaloid family cosplay, and finalized by the international fashion show, representing 15 countries and five continents.

The event was organized by the Tohoku University Graduate School of Economics and Management, Division of International Education and Exchange  (DIEE) and the Center for International Exchange, Global 30 office.

The pictures from the event are available at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/108223979894431885504/February122012?authkey=Gv1sRgCN3OutuSo-2c_QE#


--
Text and Photos by Aysenem
FGL FB/Blog Team

Greetings, everyone!

Hello everyone! I’m Mustafa one of the members of FGL Facebook team and this is gonna be my first post about Sendai and Tohoku University. I came here 4 months and a half ago. It is a quite a long time ha :) Well first of all, I would like to talk about my decision of coming Japan.

A bird's eye view of Sendai!

As I said before, I came here after the Great East Japan Earthquake which happened on 11^th of March 2011. It has been nearly one year from that day. But there was an irony. The earthquake happened the day after my entrance exam and my presentation. At that time I was totally shocked.


After the earthquake, I was reading and was watching terrible news about both tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. As all we know that media really likes sensational news. I know that but at that time you couldn’t be so sensible. So I was really confused. 
Anyway, 1 month later the results were announced and I was selected as a student for Tohoku University International Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Course for Graduate Education (IMAC-G), and the following month I was also selected as a scholarship student. But still I had that question “Is it safe for going Japan?”. With all that news, it was so hard to make a decision. I talked some people who were at Sendai. They said that it was okay to go Japan. Of course we talked a lot but in short they said like that. So with a long decision time :) I decided to come to Japan. By the way it was also one of my childhood dreams to go to Japan, because of Japanese cartoon and anime.
Now it has been more that 4 months since I came here. Up to now everything is really good. Of course there are some serious effects of earthquake and tsunami in Sendai. But I haven’t seen any building that collapsed during the earthquake. There are some buildings that are evacuated because these buildings have serious damage from earthquake, but nothing more, and I think it is just a safety procedure, and that’s all. Lastly, what I have seen that I can trust Japan :)

Red lanterns light up the Osaki Hachiman shrine in Sendai.

--

Text and Photos by Mustafa

FGL FB/Blog Team