In honor of International Education Week, a series of events has been prepared by the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs to educate students on different aspects of Japanese culture throughout the week.
“Traditionally, International Education Week does not focus on one particular culture, but this year the focus is on Japan,” said Brendan Daigle, the coordinator of the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs. “The reason for this is that I was approached by Dr. Sanichiro Yoshida, a physics instructor here on campus, a couple of months ago about doing some Japanese-themed events, and I thought they would be a good fit for International Education Week.”
The first event of the series will be a judo match and demonstration on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Kinesiology Building Rm. 150.
On Wednesday, students can learn how to perform a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the War Memorial Student Union Rm. 223.
“Participants will learn about the traditional Japanese tea ceremony,” said Daigle. “They will learn the steps to prepare and serve the tea.”
Later that day, the classic Japanese film “Seven Samurai” by well-known writer and director Akira Kurosawa will be played in Sims Memorial Library Rm. 252 at 6 p.m.
There is a full line-up on Thursday, Nov. 14 in the Student Union Rm. 223. First, an Abacus Workshop will be held at 11 a.m. where students can learn more about how to do simple calculations with the Japanese abacus. Then, there will be an Origami Workshop at 2 p.m. in which participants will learn how to create a few basic figures. The last event of the day will be a Brush Writing Workshop at 3 p.m. During the seminar participants will learn about Japanese calligraphy and characters by viewing demonstrations on how to write certain words or concepts.
The annual International Night will take place on Monday, Nov. 18 in the Student Union Ballroom from 5 to 7 p.m. International Night includes a variety of cultural food and entertainment for everyone.  
“It will have performances from a variety of cultures,” said Daigle. “I don’t think it will have any Japanese ones, though, because the one we were planning for that night did not work out.”
French instructor Aileen Mootoo with the Department of Languages and Communication organized this year’s International Night.
“The purpose of the event is not only to acknowledge our international students but also to all come together as one student body,” said Mootoo. “I believe that our show and the buffet will be enjoyable for everyone. While it is a free event for all, we are asking for a $5 donation to create scholarships for our department’s study abroad programs.”
For any additional information on International Week activities, contact MISA at [email protected].