Category Archives: Suita City

City Life, City Theme Activities, Suita City

Visit to Senriyama Daini elementary school

Day of activity: July, 1st

Hello everyone! My name’s Arno and I’ll be telling you about my first day in World Campus Japan. After arriving, I found myself to be very lucky about my anointed Osakan host family. They’re amazingly sweet, caring people and I feel very good with them.

After a well-deserved night’s rest, we went to a local primary school to meet fourth- and fifth graders. Not only I, but also the kids, were greatly looking forward to this! I played a rock-paper-scisor game with about 100 fifth graders (and lost miserably: I need to brush up on my game-skills!). Had a great time! After that, the celebrity treatment started during lunch: we World Campus Japan members have probably never been studied so diligently by dozens of kids while failing with chopsticks until now! They were very shy, but I started speaking to them and was amazed with their English level, they’re good. I also spoke Japanese with them, and after one day already, my Japanese seems to be improving.

The food was actually quite delicious, contrary to what I’m used to in Belgium. Somehow, though, the kids even beat me at finishing their plate before me… painful but funny!

Today was a very interesting day! All the various encounters and new friends I made really help me expand my horizon. I’m looking forward to Thursday!

Arno Ceriez (Belgium)

City Life, Suita City

Welcome to Suita City in World Campus – Japan 2015!!!

Suita-SING役員写真

吹田国際隣人グループSING（Suita International Neighors Group)は、2005年にUWPの訪問を受け入れから始まって、2007年WCIを受け入れるためにUWP吹田実行委員会から、SINGが立ち上げられました。

現在、役員は5人。
＜代表＞三原滿里（画廊経営）　
＜副代表＞半崎智恵美（看護師）
＜会計＞西川利子（会社役員）
＜理事＞林　健治（IT会社経営）
＜理事＞は、岡田眞里（行政書士）

吹田ならではの、活動をして頂くために企画を考えています。去年に引き続き、商店街体験、企業、大学、ゆいぴあロビー活動、アサヒビール工場見学などを考えています。本年は、吹田千里山駅前に、住民のためのコミュニティセンター（千里山）の施設がオープンするので、地域の活性化に協力をお願いします。
　　　　　

SING (Suita International Neighbors Group) has started as a supporting community of Up With People in 2005, then we have been hosting the group of people from World Campus International since 2007.

Mari Mihara is the head of our group and we have Chiemi Hanzaki, Toshiko Nishikawa, Kenji Hayashi, and Mari Okada as official members of SING.

Now we’re preparing for the upcoming World Campus – Japan program. This summer, you might experience to work for Japanese traditional shopping street, interact with high school/university students, and explore Asahi beer factory as activities in Suita city!

City Life, Suita City

Universal studios and Harry Potter!

Universal studios and Harry Potter!

Universal studios and Harry Potter!

Universal studios and Harry Potter!

Universal studios and Harry Potter!

Day of activity: July 13th 2014

Yes finally! It’s personal day! There is so many things that I wanted to do in Japan, but so little time to do so. In the end I decided to go to Universal Studio in Osaka. One of the reasons is because some of my friends happend to be in Osaka at the moment and also because a new area has just opened.

After we got inside the park, the boys and girls went separate ways. The guys probably went on all the rides, while the girls went shopping and taking pictures. Around noon, we meet up at the entrance of the new area.

We were amazed as Hogwarts came into our view from a far. Yes, you heard it right. I said Hogwarts. When we reached the end of our path, there it was … Hogsmead. It was crowded everywhere, and the waiting lines were really long. Soon after we got inside we lost the guys again. We spent more than 4 hours in that place. Everything was really well made, just like in the movies.

I drank butterbeer and pumpkin juice. It was really fun and I also got to spent a lot of money. I also got sunburned but it was totaly worth it;)

Po (Belgium)

City Life, Suita City

Personal day in Suita

Day of activity: July 13th 2014

Yay! Today we have a whole day to spend for ourselves. I decided to join some people on their shopping trip to Kyoto. We meet at Awaji station at 8:00 in the morning and arrived at the culture city of Japan at 9:00. Macha shops, a temple and some small sweetshops passed us by before we arrived at the shopping street. We went to the magnificent Ghibli store and took a picture with the giant Totoro plushie there.

We visited some really nice authentic shops. Chopsticks, fans, keychains, ribbons, t-shirts, statues and a lot of matcha goodies were available all around. I bought a nice yukata, which I will wear at the the ceremony in Uda, Nara.

My feet were burning a nd aching, but it was well worth it!

Mariska (The Netherlands)

City Life, City Theme Activities, Suita City

Yoshi!

Day of activity: July 17th 2014

Today we meet at the community center and meet some lovely locals there. We got to know each other better through questionaire and talked to the volunteers who were to make okonomiyaki with us. We were divided into 5 groups and settled at a baking station. Soon after the baking plates were on and special pancakes made of cabbage, dough, corn, bacon and other ingredienses were cooking, which produced a lovely aroma that filled the room.

After the Okonomiyaki was done we got to eat it as our lunch and it was delicious! After ending this wonderful meal we all got the recipe so I will definately try to make it at home!

We also went to visit a peace museum and wathed a short animated movie about the Hiroshima bombing. The movie was shown from a child’s perspective, which was so sad that in the end I shed a tear. It was so sad to see the loneliness and panic. After the movie was over, the movie producer Mr. Maeda answered any questions we had about the movie and it’s connection to the A-bombing.

Then we went to the Asahi beer factory where we had a tour. The tour itself did not contain much new information for me, but the walking did keep me vivid. I am not fond of beer but I tried some after the tour which ended with a short video. During the time we had to drink beer I shifted from beer to juice because I did not like it.

Before we went back we had a group photo taken. Then walked to the station. Another fun and interesting day came to an end.

Mariska (the Netherlands)