TUFS Students Set Up a Booth and Give a Stage Performance to Showcase the Charms of Slovenia at the 47th Setagaya Furusato Ward Citizens' Festival

June 22, 2026

On June 6 and 7, 2026, at the “The 47th Setagaya Furusato Ward Citizens' Festival” held in Setagaya Ward, Ms. Vesna Bukovec, a Slovenian language instructor at our university, along with our student Nozomi Harima (second-year master’s student) and Hanae Matsuyama (third-year doctoral student) participated in a booth exhibition and stage presentations to showcase the charms of the Republic of Slovenia. 
At the booth, local specialties such as honey, wine, and salt were sold, and language games were held, allowing many visitors to experience the country’s culture.
On the 7th, at a special stage, under the supervision of Ms. Biba Jelislava Sethna—Chair of the Slovenian-Japanese Friendship Group and a former lecturer at our university—our students, Ms. Harima and Ms. Matsuyama, along with Slovenian exchange students from the University of Tsukuba, took the stage to highlight the country’s appeal through a quiz.
In addition, learning opportunities such as our university’s classes and Open Academy were widely introduced. This event served as a valuable opportunity not only to deepen local residents’ understanding of the Republic of Slovenia but also to showcase the achievements of our university’s language education to the wider community.

*The university’s participation in this event was made possible through the cooperation of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Japan, the Slovenian-Japanese Friendship Group, the Center za slovenščino kot drugi in tuji jezik (Center for Slovenian as a Second and Foreign Language), the Slovenia-Japan Business Council, and Urad vlade RS za Slovence v Zamejstvu in po svetu（Office for Slovenians Living Abroad, Government of the Republic of Slovenia）.

*Under an agreement with the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, our university has been hosting Lecturer Vesna Bukovec from that institution since 2019, offering Slovenian language courses in undergraduate and graduate programs as well as in the Open Academy. In addition to language instruction, Lecturer Bukovec’s responsibilities include introducing Slovenian culture and traditions.

　 (This text was translated by AI.)