On 16 November 2013, Keio University, along with co-hosts the British Council, welcomed hundreds of visitors to the Experience Japan Exhibition 2013 at the Royal Society London. The exhibition featured a series of seminars and an information fair with booths by 16 leading Japanese universities and a number of Japan-related organisations all with the aim of introducing the world of opportunities that studying and working in Japan has to offer.

Within moments of the exhibition being opened by Professor Jiro Kokuryo, Vice-President of Keio University, the venue quickly filled with visitors keen to attend the seminars and speak with the representatives at each booth. Around 700 people attended in total, the largest attendance since this annual event was first held in 2011.

Many Japanese universities are now actively expanding the opportunities available for international students and increasing the variety of courses such as English-based degree programmes, short-term summer schools, and Japanese language programmes. Participants eagerly consulted with university representatives about the opportunities available in a range of fields, including business, international relations, and information and communication technology.

Meanwhile, the seminar programme was also a resounding success, with all five sessions filled to capacity. Under the title “Do you know Pop Japan?”, Professor Ichiya Nakamura of Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) took the audience on a lighthearted but informative journey charting the rise of Japanese pop culture, which has seen anime, manga, and computer game characters come to rival ninjas and Mt. Fuji as images of Japan. Participants also had the opportunity to learn an eclectic variety of Japanese words and phrases, in a session which explored Japanese society and culture through the language of manga and currently trending phrases in Japan. The programme also included a look at “real Japanese cuisine,” covering everyday favorites and seasonal dishes in Japan, while in other sessions, the audience heard from people with firsthand experience of living and working in Japan.

Full videos of each of these seminars, along with event photos, are available:

Interview
Seminar 1: Working in Japan
Seminar 2: Beyond Yo-Sushi: Real Japanese Cuisine
Seminar 3: Insights into Japanese culture through language
Seminar 4: Studying in Japan
Seminar 5: Do you know Pop Japan?

Keio University