International Student Center and Gifu City Library had the overseas students' presentation on Japanese Studies at Gifu University Satellite Campus, 1 pm, Sunday, August 3^rd, 2014.

Speakers were government-sponsored foreign students or exchange students from sister universities and studied mainly Japanese language and culture at Gifu University (Japanese Language & Culture Studies course) for about a year from October to August. At the end of the course, each student selected a topic of interest and completed their thesis receiving advice on how to write from the academic supervisor.
This is the thirteenth term of the Japanese Language & Culture Studies course, and 10 students from China, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Vietnam had presentations this year.
Many people, including faculty members, Gifu University students, overseas students, and local residents came to this event. Some of them were with their children, and the Japanese Language & Culture Studies course graduates who went on to a graduate school or got a job in Japan also showed up to support. We realized that the event on Japanese Studies brings people together and helps to connect each other.
The students presented themes such as the regional culture or the cultural comparison of Japan with their own countries and showed the achievements of their study at Gifu University. They managed to ease the tension and relax, and the presentations were a success. They finished the presentation in fluent Japanese using PowerPoint and received cheers and applause from the audience. According to the results of the questionnaire survey, the audience gave positive responses such as "Students' point of view was different from Japanese and very interesting" or "I had a great time."

The Japanese Language & Culture Studies course students attend a closing ceremony on Thursday, August 21, and return their home countries to continue studying. A number of students who finished this course came back to Japan to study at graduate schools including Gifu University or to find employment. We are looking forward to seeing the thirteen term students in Japan again.

List of student speakers (order of presentation):

• RUANGCHUAMUAN JENJIRA (Thailand)
  "Cultural strategy for ukai, cormorant fishing, on the Nagara River -Can it be identified as World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO? - "
• JIANG YANG (China)
  "Disaster and multicultural society -The efforts of Gifu City and Gifu University-"
• BLOMBERG AKE NICLAS FREDRIK (Sweden)
  "Does an apprentice training system exist in Japan? -Apprenticeships on Japanese and Swedish high school education-"
• ZHANG SI SI (China)
  "The practice of ama* and the present situation -The case of ama in Shima region, Mie Prefecture-"
• YANG XINYI (China)
  "The comparison of onomatopee between Japanese and Chinese language -Using the example of "Kitchen" written by Banana Yoshimoto-"
• FALT ADAM ERIK (Sweden)
  "I give (kureru) you a book -The use of 'yaru' and 'kureru' in dialect-"
• NGYUEN NGOC THANH TAM (Vietnam)
  "Japanese and Vietnamese women's social advancement -Change of the view towards working-"
• LE THI THANH THAO (Vietnam)
  "Manpower export from Vietnam and Training Program/Technical Intern Training Program"
• JULIAN RENEE JOHANNA (New Zealand)
  "The comparison between Japanese and New Zealand gardens -Garden with a pond and dry garden style-"
• KO MIGYEONG (South Korea)
  "Growth and decay of Korean and Japanese comedy -Cultural differences seen through mandan (a comic monologue) and manzai (stand-up comedy) -"

*Ama is professional female divers who go into the water mainly for food such as shellfish and seaweed.