Category Archives: City Theme Activities

City Life, City Theme Activities, Uda City

A moment in time

interaction with the elderly

March 19th, 2009: Two hours. What is two hours to a resident of Muro-en, a district of Uda where the average age is over 85? With a life so rich with history and remarkable experiences, a couple hours with a band of foreign strangers might not seem that special. Nevertheless, observing the expressions of joy and glee on their faces when World Campus – Japan participants sang songs with them was quite touching.

It does not take much to make an impact on the lives of the elderly and yourself. Basic interactions such as songs or even a simple a touch of the hand can be meaningful.

“My favorite time in history is this moment with you people.” Muro-en resident

City Life, City Theme Activities, Suita City

Super WCJ Performance at Local Festival!

ABC Festival in Suita city

March 15th, 2009: With only two days of practice, WCJ participants performed for the first time at the local ABC Festival in Suita city! Even with limited rehearsals, the performance was a hit among the enthusiastic crowd. Because songs like “Hi wa mata noboru” and “Gake no ue no Ponyo” are so popular in Japan, the audience eagerly sang and dance along!

“Encore! Encore! Encore!!”

Our participation at the festival was an excellent way to interact with the community. We were able to bring an international flavor to a local event and experienced the amazing feeling of contributing to Japanese society.

City Life, City Theme Activities, Our participants, Suita City

Cultural fun and relaxation

traditional sumo


at the bowling alley with students from Kansai University

After two great but tiring days of training, we had an opportunity to relax and experience traditional Japanese culture.

Jake (Texas) and Herbing (Kenya) are solving their problems the old fashion way, a traditional sumo grudge match! These guys are very courageous to also wear the traditional costumes! This is something definitely not many tourists get a chance to try.

Later in the day, the fun continued at the bowling alley with students from Kansai University. It was great to interact with these young intellects of Japan in this festive setting. Of course, even intellectuals have to get down and have fun sometimes. 🙂

City Life, City Theme Activities, Hiroshima City, Our participants

Wrap-up – Super Happy Sunshine Funtime Tour



Less than two months. It was a short amount of time but enough for a bunch of strangers from fourteen countries to come together. During that time we learned, we played, we had fun, we got frustrated, we overcame, we laughed, and we cried together. And as a group, we successfully completed the World Campus International summer program. Yay!! Congratulations!! 😉

There were great times where everything was peachy and fun. From hiking Mt. Taro, to the walking tours of Tokyo, to attending the Peace Ceremony in Hiroshima. Everything was not always super happy though. There were also demanding times where we met challenges. From our first “Thank-you Event” rehearsal, to our struggles in “getting over the rope”, to our final goodbyes at the airport. Those were difficult times but we always somehow prevailed as a group.

It is hard to imagine the amazing experiences we would share when everyone first stepped off the bus at the Music Village in Ueda City. Everyone seemed so different and I did not know how the group would mesh together or how long it would take. Living together at the Music Village for the first few days obviously allowed us to connect sooner but I would like to commend everyone for being so open and personable to those that would join later. This program can only succeed if everyone works together, plus it is also a lot more fun when everybody gets along. Thus, it was a pleasant surprise for me to see such harmony in so little time.

Although WCI is not an academic program, it is undeniable to state that we all learned much during the tour. Staying with host families offered us the best opportunity to experience Japanese life and culture. What we have learned was not just relegated to Japanese culture either. Because we were such a diverse group, we were able to learn a little bit about the other countries too. We were all put in an uncomfortable situation in a country foreign to many of us with so many different personalities. Such as life, sometimes the personalities conflicted, yet we all learned about ourselves and how to handle such uneasy situations.

It might be cliché to say, but our little community was much like a family. Every one of us went through tremendous highs and deflating lows but we were always there for each other. Although we are parted now, our shared experiences will never be forgotten. Thank you all for the wonderful memories. It is very difficult not to get overly nostalgic when reflecting back on the tour but it was truly a super happy sunshine funtime.

(Guang Yeung, USA)

City Life, City Theme Activities, Hiroshima City

The Hiroshima Lantern Festival



On August 6th, 2008, World Campus — Japan members along with people from all over the world and local community members participated in the Hiroshima Lantern Festival. The ritual was held on the evening of the anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. During this festival, blue, green, red, pink, and white cube-shaped lanterns float down the Motoyasugawa River in the twilight. Japanese Buddhists believe that every year the souls of the dead visit their descendants. When the dead return, the lanterns on the river light the path, guiding the spirits of the A-Bomb victims back to heaven.

Despite the large crowds of people, the memory of the solemn event that occurred 63 years ago was still so beautiful and serene.

With strong hopes for world peace, thousands of visitors sent messages to the dead. A few World Campus — Japan members, including me, David, Guang and Ilkka had the special opportunity to partake in the emotional ceremony. Each one of us thoughtfully wrote messages on the colorful pieces of rice paper wishing for world peace, love in the world, and for the spirits to rest in peace. Afterwards, we placed our messages on a wooden lantern frame, lit a candle inside the lantern and set it free downstream to aid the spirits in finding their way home. It was such a wonderful and touching experience to be surrounded by different people from all over the world, all with love and the desire for world peace in their hearts.

(Janice Tsang, USA)