NEWS

My idol is Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen. He is very strong and speaks Japanese fluently. I want to be able to speak Japanese naturally like him. Thanks to the Japanese classes in ISPJ, I was able to learn a lot from the teachers. I am truly grateful to all of them.
Thanks to this program, I was able to learn about the world. Even though we speak different languages, learning Japanese allows us to share the same goals and communicate with each other, which is wonderful. At my university, I don't have many opportunities to speak Japanese, so this program has been extremely helpful in improving my Japanese skills.
During my time in this program, I also made valuable friends. I want to express my gratitude to everyone I met. Thank you all so much.

In actuality, I'm a bit shy, so even when I'm speaking in English, I don't have much confidence and I am not able to convey my own thoughts very well. And, though I understand the majority of Japanese grammar, there's a lot of vocabulary that I'm unfamiliar with, so I think I'm not particularly good at speaking Japanese either. Because of that, I can only listen and write in Japanese, so I'm not too sure why I was chosen to speak at the closing ceremony.
Anyways, before I came to ICU, I wanted to make lots of friends, talking about various things and doing various activities with them; but as I thought, every time I'm speaking directly to someone, when I open my mouth, the words don't come out very well. However, there were a lot of kind people at ICU and I was happy to be able to make friends through fun activities like playing shogi and cooking, among many other things. Thinking of how I was able to spend time with everyone, I'm very glad that I participated in the ISPJ program.

Mr. SO, Ching Elvin: The three-week program truly flew by, and it was like a dream. I am not a student that studies arts and humanities, yet I really enjoyed learning in this program. It was very enjoyable to deeply understand and empathize with Japanese culture. I'm also glad to have met amazing friends from all around the world. The ICU professors were very kind and taught me a lot, for which I am truly grateful.
I believe this experience will remain a wonderful memory in my heart for a long time. Definitely, I am looking forward to meeting everyone again. I am thankful to the International Christian University for giving me this great opportunity in ISPJ.

Ms. HO, Yan Yin Vania: To all the ICU students and international students, thank you so much. The time I spent with you all was truly wonderful, and I am filled with gratitude. My experience in ISPJ was incredibly fun, and every time I look back at my Instagram stories, I feel that this summer was truly a time of youth.
What stands out the most from ISPJ are memories like going to karaoke with friends, eating okonomiyaki for the first time, ordering food at Torikizoku without worrying about the prices, and spending time in the dormitory. It was all so much fun. Since I didn't have any family members who spoke Japanese, I always practiced Japanese on my own, but coming to ICU and being able to speak Japanese with you all from morning till night made me really happy. Thank you for the wonderful time.

Mr. PADUA JR, Ramon.:
Thank you to the teachers and staff of ISPJ for your support! What I'm most glad about this program is that everyone was able to get along and support each other. Before coming here, I was worried whether I'd be able to make friends, but in the end it was great to have been able to learn and enjoy Japanese culture with many different kinds of people! Although it is sad to see ISPJ come to an end, let us continue on and keep up the good work!"

I can't believe that this program has already come to an end, and at the same time, it's hard to believe that I first met all of you just three weeks ago. The program was particularly challenging for students from overseas, but I hope you enjoyed your time in Japan and at ICU Tokyo.
I understand how difficult it is to learn Japanese, and I know that studying a language can sometimes lead to frustration and anxiety. However, I want to emphasize that the effort is worthwhile because it allows us to connect with people who speak different languages.
As a communication major, I have learned that our identities are shaped by our interactions with the people around us and the environment we live in. I believe that the discoveries and new perspectives gained from living abroad can influence you after this program and help you create a new version of yourself.
Finally, I hope this program has inspired you to deepen your thoughts and enhance your skills.