On July 4 (Fri.), Summer Courses in Japanese began, and on July 7 (Mon.), a welcome lunch was held at University Dining Hall.

This summer course is geared toward students whose native language is not Japanese and Japanese returnee students and teaches Japanese language and culture. Participants take intensive Japanese language instruction (15 hours per week) and various cultural programs such as Japanese calligraphy, tea ceremony, and temple visits. In addition, for the duration of the course, they live in dormitories on campus or do homestays, improve their Japanese ability, and deepen their understanding of Japanese culture.

This year, 90 people from 14 countries gathered, and highly-motivated words such as "I would like to study hard in order to be able to speak Japanese" and "I'm interested in Japanese culture, so I'm looking forward to it" were heard.