Japanese Online Study Tour

Melton City Council is a member of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Program. In previous years, Melton hosted visits from one our partnering cities in Japan, where Professor Keizo Yamawaki and his students were taken on tours of our municipality and they learned about our approach to intercultural development.

Due to COVID 19, this year’s study tour has been moved online. On the 30th of September, year 12 students Adoralynn Papalii Seu, Ashley Kei Hein, and Roda Thangaw, alumni Henry Lal Din Mawai and Mariestella De Leon, as well as a few other Melton community members, participated in the online workshop.

“Roda and I were put into a group with five students from the Japanese Study Tour. We discussed general things, like what our interests and hobbies were. We were asked our perceptions of Japanese people based on what we’ve seen or heard in the media. 

Both Roda and I had nothing but positive things to say about Japanese people; perceiving them to be generous and polite individuals, but also quite shy. They definitely agreed on the shyness!

This was a thrilling experiencing. I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese culture so to personally get to talk to and hear from Japanese people about their culture was extremely pleasant. There was also a sense of connection despite our difference in backgrounds; the Japanese students shared similar interests to us, such as listening to the same music artists or watching the same shows and reading the same books. 

My only concern was how short the group discussion felt! I had a wonderful time talking to the Japanese students and getting to know them, so it was upsetting that we ran out of time very quickly. They felt the same way too – as the timer was going down, they were disappointed that we weren’t given more time. It would be great to have this kind of program again in the future (and with more time for the group discussions!).”

--- Henry, University of Melbourne

“It was such an eye opening session. I learnt lots of things that I truly had no idea. In university, they are always trying to find ways to increase cultural competence, especially in the task force, and today has contributed to my understanding of that.”

--- Cheyanne, Monash University

"I learned that Japan organises workshops for students who are struggling with certain things. They make sure that all of the students that are having any difficulties are receiving the help and support that they need. I also learned that they are very keen on developing relationships within the international community and that they conduct a lot of research.

In our group, we talked about our hobbies/interests, Japanese cuisin, some of Japan’s famous landmarks, and what it’s like to study in Japan versus Australia. I enjoyed the youth exchange so much. It was such a great experience being able to communicate with students who are from a different country and have different life experiences from me. Despite the limited time that we had, I was still able to learn a lot from them. I want more!"

--- Mariestella, Victoria University

Profession Keizo Yamawaki of the School of Global Japanese Studies in Meiji University shared the write up the students made on: https://www.meiji.ac.jp/nippon/info/2020/6t5h7p000039w09c.html

YVETTE MEDINA

CALD Engagment Lead