2019 Activity Report

March Activity Report

31 March 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

Lecture on “Modern Japan” at the School of Young Orientalists on March 11

I have already mentioned that the School of Asian Studies has a School of Young Orientalists, a special program to help high school students decide whether or not to specialize in oriental countries and cultures.

On March 11, a series of lectures were held by a Japanese language department graduate and a fourth year student, Selima Gezimieva and Denis Orhon. In the first part of the lecture, they talked briefly about modern Japan to the future Orientalists. It was mainly about politics and economics, for example, Abenomics, the social and demographic problems facing Japan (population aging, etc.) and how are they being solved. They also learned what “Japan’s rapid economic growth” is. In the second half of the lecture, they explained Japan’s foreign policy and its position in the overall international relations system.

The lecture was very rich and interesting. However, the most noteworthy thing was that the students from the School of Asian Studies gave lectures to high school students. In almost four years, they learned Japanese from scratch, participated in internships, studied Japan in various fields such as history, culture, economy, politics and society, and also learned how to share this knowledge. This is exactly what we expect of future Orientalists and Japanese experts, and so we are, of course, proud of them.

February Activity Report

29 February 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

February 14, Valentine’s Day

Are Valentine’s Day celebrations known about in Japan? Do you know if and how this holiday is celebrated in Russia?

On Friday February 14, the Japanese club “Musubi” gathered together and talked about it. The result was a very informative and enjoyable meeting.

Students from the School of Asian Studies prepared small presentations and talked about how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Japan, how women present chocolates to men, why the day is celebrated in Japan, why people gift chocolates, and what “Giri Chocolates” are. The Japanese participants then learnt about how young Russian people celebrate Valentine’s Day.

As usual, the organizers prepared fun contests and games related to the holiday.

Finally, all the participants exchanged chocolates with each other, through which they perhaps felt a little bit of Japan.

By the way it’s also worth noting that, counting from the beginning of the semester, this event had the biggest turnout. Apparently, the theme of love moves people more than anything else.

February 27, Concert Lecture “How to listen to traditional Japanese music”

Last year, a musician came to a big event called Oriental Crazy Day in May and played several traditional pieces on the shakuhachi and shamisen. It was a great performance, but the students and I realized that we didn’t understand anything and wanted to learn more. On the last Friday of February, the teachers of the Oriental Department and I, as adviser to the Japan Club, organized a long-awaited concert lecture in which the wonderful musicians Dmitry Kalinin and Tatiana Rechnaya performed.

The title of the concert lecture was “How to listen to traditional Japanese music”. Tatiana and Dmitry have studied traditional Japanese music for a long time, play the shakuhachi and shamisen, and have participated in concerts and various musical events throughout Russia. They talked about the different kinds of traditional Japanese music and how to listen to them to understand their beauty.

At first, they played several pieces of honkyoku, a type of music played on the shakuhachi that monks in the past used to meditate. This music is quite different from the western music that is familiar to Russian ears.

After this they talked about what folk songs are and played some examples. The folk music was easier to understand than before, and I could hear the sounds of nature and the voices of farmers. Tatiana also played her own compositions, expressing the amazing potential of the Japanese shakuhachi. Finally, they played a famous three-part song about sake. In fact, this song is a hymn about sake played on the shakuhachi and shamisen, and has a singing part.

The audience could imagine the songs, dances, and delightful feasts so vividly as the music became quiet at some times and enlivened at others, and the song ended with the merry laughter of all the participants at the feast. Perhaps the culture of drinking, like the theme of love, is a theme of life that can be understood by people from all kinds of different cultural backgrounds.

After the concert, the audience, which consisted not only of students and teachers from the School of Asian Studies, but also of Japanese music lovers, remarked that they wanted more concerts like this to be held regularly. I hope to see these great musicians again.

January Activity Report

31 January 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Happy New Year 2020, readers!

After the short winter vacation, studies and extracurricular activities continued here at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE). This time, I did a short interview with Daria Ponomaryova, a 1st year student in the Japanese Department of the School of Oriental Studies.

I would like to inform you that the HSE alone enrolls a large number of students, approximately 60 -70, in the Japanese Department each year. Japanese is one of the most popular East Asian languages after Chinese at HSE. Perhaps this interview will show why young Russians choose to study Japan and Japanese, an interesting but rather difficult discipline.

Q: Where are you studying and why did you choose Japanese? What was the deciding factor when you chose?

A: I am studying in the “Oriental studies” education program at HSE. The culture of samurai, bushido and the prints and paintings of Japanese painters had a great influence on European culture at that time. The appearance and tradition of a country are also important to me. I saw a video about “Life inside Japan and Korea” on YouTube. It was about the character and behavior of the local people, and I was impressed by Japanese politeness.

Q: What is the appearance of the country? You mean the landscape?

A: Yes. And the old one and the new one. In Tokyo, for example, buildings protrude from the road, but in the countryside, there are fields and quiet temples.

Q: How do you like Japanese? What is difficult and what is easy? What did you discover after studying so far?

A: Japanese was difficult at first. In other words, the first time I looked at kana and kanji, I didn’t know where to even start from. But after that, once I learned some simple expressions and kanji, it became fun and a little easier to study. This is because the grammar patterns I already knew started appearing more.

An intriguing thing I found is that Japanese has words that describe phenomena. Japanese people express these with one word. For example, the idea of a “friend like a younger brother” is simply called “Otoutobun”. There is also the word “Oyagokoro” to describe parental love.

Q: Have you had the chance to talk with Japanese people? If so, how did you get to know each other? What was your impression?

A: I communicated with them through Line. In fact, I want to have a real interaction, not an online interaction through a smartphone screen. In the conversations, they are very polite and nice people who say “your Japanese is very good” even though I only have a little knowledge of Japanese expressions.

Q: Are there any Japanese study subjects other than language classes? Have you heard anything new that makes you want to study Japanese more? It doesn’t matter if it’s culture or people. Is there anything that makes you want to go to Japan? Or, conversely, what do you not like about Japan?

A: First of all, when I started studying Japanese, I realized that there are many Japanese things and Japanese culture around me that I was impressed by. Food, sweets, and of course, animation, manga, and Japanese movies. I learned that the works of Alfons Mucha, the pioneer of Art Nouveau, were also influenced by Hokusai’s woodblock prints. As an artist, I look for inspiration and ideas from Japanese and Asian artists.

Q: Do you draw pictures?

A: Yes, I graduated from an art school a few years ago.

Q: Do you want to go to Japan? What do you want to see, know and do in Japan? What kind of food would you like to try?

A: Yes, of course I really want to go. I would like to make sure if this field of Japanese studies is suitable for me. This is difficult to confirm in Russia. Above all, I want to see cherry blossoms, and I want to walk in downtown areas like Harajuku. I’d like to go to a traditional shrine and try on a kimono. The food question is difficult. I’ve heard a lot about the unique taste preferences of the Japanese. I’d like to try real Japanese sushi, tempura and soft-shelled turtle. But I’m not ready to eat live octopus.

Q: Do you think you will become an expert in Japan? What do you want to do?

A: To be honest, it is difficult. I only studied for half a year in the first grade, and there are only 2 or 3 subjects about Japan. I still don’t know what my future job will be. I say to my parents, “I will become an expert of Asian countries, especially Japan in the future.” but I don’t understand exactly what Japanese experts are doing. When it comes to choosing a college specialty, it’s either socioeconomic or historical culture, but choosing between these is also difficult. This is because, in the case of the economics, there is a possibility that you can actually be useful in the labor market and get a job at a major company, but in the case of culture, its “diversity” is very attractive, but there is no guarantee of future employment.

Q: What would you like to say to junior high school students who are hesitating about choosing an Asian language, or who have already begun to study a little Japanese, or who are preparing for an entrance examination at a higher economics college?

A: My advice on choosing a language is as follows. Don’t listen to other people’s opinions or think, “is there a demand?”. Please choose a language that you can enjoy studying. Doing so will make it easier for you to do your homework and make your studies more enjoyable. I want people who have already taken the first step to stay interested in Japan. I hope Japan will always give you inspiration!

Q: Thank you, Study hard!

December Activity Report

31 December 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

2019 is almost over. At the end of December, there is an exam period here at the Higher School of Economics, so students are very busy preparing for their exams. Nevertheless, we were able to end the year with a very warm event, a “year-end party”.

Year-End Party

On December 13, the Japan Club “Musubi”, the Japanese Speaking Club “Hey! Say!” and the Japan Movie Club “Tsubaki” held their last event of 2019, the year-end party. Since many students were busy preparing for the exam, I planned and presided over the event.

I decided that the year-end party, like other events, should include learning elements. So first I had the 3rd year students talk about how the New Year’s holiday (Christmas and New Year’s Day) is spent in Japan. The participating students were able to learn a lot about the interesting new year celebrations hidden in Japanese history.

The next presentations were about how the New Year is spent in Russia. The most “delicious” event was the “Olivier salad” created by the 2nd year students. This salad, along with mandarins and Christmas trees, has long been a symbol of the new year in Russian homes. At the end of the study session, students from the Film Club talked about films to be seen in Russia and Japan during the New Year holidays.

After that, the fun started. We played games, sang New Year’s songs in Russian, and participated in competitions.

By the way, there was an electrical wire malfunction in the building of Higher School of Economics where the year-end party was held, and while it was scheduled to be fixed, it was still broken. Because of this, there were many blackouts in the building. Even during the year-end party, there were several blackouts, so the students turned on the lights on their smartphones, making the atmosphere very romantic.

In the end, all the participants exchanged gifts such as sweets, souvenirs, notebooks, and toys that had been prepared in advance.

In both Russia and Japan, New Year’s Day is spent with family. The year-end party was originally intended to make people forget the bad things that happened in the past year. Of course, the year-end party is also a lot of fun for people with the same interests. Especially if your interest is in Japanese customs.

On behalf of the Japanese language students of the Higher School of Economics, I would like to congratulate those who read this diary on the New Year. I wish you success, happiness and prosperity! See you in 2020!

November Activity Report

30 November 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

There were some interesting events at the School of Asian Studies in November. I’ll tell you two of them.

“Nihongaku Chugishiki” for freshmen in the Japanese department

On November 11, the Department of Japanese Studies and the Japan Club “MUSUBI” held the third “Nihongaku Chugishiki”. This iconic “ceremony” takes place after freshmen take their first university exam (the Higher School of Economics has four testing periods). Future Japanese scholars will get to know their Japanese language teachers and seniors, and while participating in fun games, they will become close friends with the Japanese language family of the School of Asian Studies.

First of all, Ms. Roli Jain, a Japanese teacher and the head of the Japanese department, made a speech. After that, she introduced the teachers who were there. Ms. Yulia Korovina, an adviser of the Japan Club “MUSUBI”, introduced what kind of events the club’s activities were and events that even first years can participate in. The upperclassmen talked about the difficulties of training in Japan, the difficulties of learning the Japanese language that they will face in their first year, the process of learning Japanese culture, the Japanese character and way of thinking, life in Japan, and so on, and advised the younger students on how to make learning Japanese easier and how to become fond of Japan.

The freshmen took part in fun quizzes, answering simple and difficult questions about Japan, and the people who answered the most correctly also received a pizza!

Mr. Hiroshi Abe taught a master class of origami, and the students folded samurai helmets.

Japanese tea and sweets were served at the end of the ceremony.

The ceremony was very exciting and the program was fun and interesting. I think the freshmen were able to feel a little more confident knowing that their teachers and seniors would help them in the difficult process of studying Japan and Japanese.

Mr. Alexander Dolin’s Birthday

Professor Alexander Dolin, a professor of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, held a ceremony for his 70th birthday on November 20 at the School of Asian Studies of the Higher School of Economics. He is a Maestro of Japanese Studies, Japanese literature research, and translation (especially waka) in Russia; he is also a poet, writer and even promoted Japanese martial arts in Russia.

Professor Dolin greeted the participants and used a slide show to talk about his achievements in literary research. These include over 60 books, including translations of Japanese poets and writers, dissertations on Japanese martial arts, novels and poetry.

After that, teachers and friends who attended the ceremony offered their congratulations to Mr. Dolin.

Much to our delight, after the guests’ blessing, Mr. Dolin recited some of his poems.

The ceremony ended with a buffet-style party where, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, each participant congratulated Mr. Dolin and thanked him for his extraordinary contribution to literature.

It is an honor to have such an excellent Japanese specialist among the many teachers in the School of Asian Studies. I wish Mr. Dolin good health, happiness and a long life with all our wonderful students.

October Activity Report

31 October 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

“Tokyo Story” in the School of Asian Studies (SAS)

This year, a new club, the Japan Movie Club “Camellia”, was formed. This came mainly from students in their second and third years showing interest in Japanese films and the history of films, who discussed these with the teachers and decided to regularly watch good Japanese films, which are important in the world of film.

The first screening was held on Friday, October 4, where Japanese film lovers as well as students of Japanese studies gathered.

The students themselves selected Yasujiro Ozu’s great work “Tokyo Story” for viewing, a masterpiece in Japanese film history. It is wonderful that a film from the golden age of Japanese movies was selected instead of a modern Japanese movie.

The movie tells the story of two parents visiting their children in Tokyo. In the movie, father and child relationships, old age, and the difference between the countryside and the city are depicted

There was a discussion after the movie. Everyone could understand the complexity of relationships. What was interesting was that the students tried to find not only the immediate differences but also the overall differences between Russia and Japan, such as cultural and historical differences. In addition, this movie made them think about relationships, family, values of life, and consideration for family.

Movies also lead to a deep understanding of Japanese culture, which is essential as a future Japanologist. I’d like to talk about the next screening.

Japanese language classes at the School of Young Orientalists

Since its inception, the SAS has had a program for high school students called the School of Young Orientalists. This school’s program includes lectures by teachers and students of the Oriental Department, practical training and various events. Participants in this school are high school students who are interested in the Orient and want to know the cultures and languages of Asian countries. The main purpose of the school is to help high school students decide their future specialties.

The school’s leader is Yulia Korovina, a teacher in the Oriental department.On Wednesday, October 16, the third year students of the university held an interactive Japanese class.

Participants were able to learn about ancient Japanese, the formation of characters, how different characters were used according to social status, the changes that occurred in Japanese in the 19th and 20th centuries, and modern Japanese. In addition, the university students taught the high school students how to study Japanese. They talked about the “difficulty” and “simplicity” of learning Japanese, why they chose this language, and why Japanese is special to them. After the lecture, the students answered quizzes, wrote down Japanese proverbs and thought about their meanings.

These classes not only arouse interest in learning Japanese, but also help high school students actually see what is waiting for them if they wish to master this difficult but surprisingly rich language.

September Activity Report

30 September 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

On September 2, the new semester started at National Research University Higher School of Economics.

1. HSE DAY 2019

I think we can say that the real new school term started from “HSE DAY 2019” on September 5. It is an annual event held in Moscow’s large park (Gorky Park) and has become an annual university event. The first “High School of Economics Day” HSE DAY was held on September 6, 2012, the 20 year anniversary of the university.

Since then, in the first half of September every year, HSE holds this event for university teachers, students and other clients.

“HSE DAY 2019” is like a universe, a unique event where anyone can find something interesting. Applicants can take a trip to learn about the faculty and the educational system. For example, HSE StudLife allows you to learn about various activities outside of school, such as “avenue of student organization”. The university has more than 180 student organizations and countless events and self-governing organizations. Teacher lectures in Russian and English, exploration games, academic battles, fashion shows, music, and other interaction – these are just a few of the activities that “HSE DAY” participants can experience.

参考： https://www.hse.ru/en/day2019/

School of Asian Department (SAS) also participated in the event.

The students introduced applicants to a bachelor’s degree program called “Oriental studies”.

On the “program table” side, there was a special program. Mr. Fanyan, a calligraphy teacher, held a master class of Chinese calligraphy, and applicants could experience calligraphy.

On the wall of a tent, students were able to write their wishes on various colored paper and hang them on the wall, imitating Japanese tanzaku, saying, “Wish Wall”.

The students also thought up a quiz about the East, and the winner received a commemorative sticker.

The students were dressed in traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese costumes and were interested in “program table”.

Of course, I was able to hug Panda, the mascot of School of Asian Studies (SAS) during the event!

2．ロ日会話クラブHey! Say!

Student Conversation Club “Hey! Say!” resumed its activities on September 27. This program was established as part of the activities of the Japan Club “Musubi” of School of Asian Studies of the HSE (SAS).

The first meeting after the long vacation was attended not only by students studying Japanese at our university, but also by participants from outside Japan and Japanese language lovers. Among the Japanese participants were foreign students and working people.

The club organizers listed various conversation themes to make them as interesting and useful as possible for all participants.

Club meetings are held regularly. I think I will be able to tell everyone again.

August Activity Report

31 August 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello, mina-san！

As you may know in Russia a new academical year starts at September 1st . Summer is usually a good time not only to go to vacations but also to participate in summer schools, internship programs and many other educational projects.

This year SAS students could participate in several programs provided by TUFS.

1. Nelli Abubakirova, 3rd year, TUFS student exchange program

Exchange Studies in Japan: Sakura, Aikido, Fuji

In the summer 2018, thanks to School of Asian Studies, I was among the first students to go to the summer Russian-Japanese school at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Having got acquainted with the campus, local students and Tokyo, I decided to go there for one semester to the student exchange program.

The best time to study in Japan is spring

The school year in Japan begins on April 1. So, if you go to Japan on the spring semester, you start from the first semester chronologically. This is great in terms of courses: for example, if a course is logically divided into two parts, you can start from the first step.

And, of course, it is warm in spring. This is not a minor detail, since in Japan there is no central heating, and the room temperature in cold seasons drops to 8-10 degrees Celsius. Even in April, when it was quite warm and sunny outside, it was necessary to heat up oneself using all possible means. But in late March and early April is the best time of the year, the time of sakura blossom. This year, sakura started to blossom later than the forecast, just at the beginning of the semester. No photos can show the true beauty of the beautiful trees! It is worth going to Japan in spring just because of this only.

In addition, it is in the spring semester that there are many days off: in early May there is a whole vacation week, the so-called “Golden Week”, in June and July there are also several days off. So, there are plenty of opportunities to travel and get to know the country.

What about classes?

Upon arrival, I was expected to take a placement test in the Japanese language. In total, I could choose up to 7 credits in the Japanese language (1 credit equals to 1 class per week) and I decided to take a course of 5 credits – a class per day. It was great to learn the language taught by Japanese teachers, at the same time communicate only in Japanese even with foreign classmates. Classes consisted mainly of discussions on various topics from cultural differences to euthanasia, and homework was easy and rare. All in all, the emphasis was on communication and language practice in during classes.

I also took several courses in English: Modern Japanese Literature, The Study of Tokyo and Kyoto, Japanese Management and Business. The format of the courses was the following: one seminar per week, small assignments from time to time, and at least two large essays during the course. There were no exams, although, for example, in literature, we had a final presentation. In general, the learning process took much less time (both classes and homework) than at HSE, and therefore was more pleasant.

After classes

An unforgettable part of studying at a Japanese university is participating in clubs! From the very beginning, I wanted to do Japanese traditional arts, but the tea ceremony seemed too boring for me, so I chose aikido, Japanese martial arts. Thanks to the club, I learned how to explain various poses and exercises in Japanese, and also appreciated the benefits of the vertical social hierarchy and the help from older guys.

Ascending Fuji
During the May holidays, I did not have a chance to travel, but at the end of the semester, in July I started the most fun days in Japan.

Even before the internship, I decided that I would definitely climb Fuji. As it turned out later, at Moscow State University, for example, they believe that a true Japanese studies student should definitely climb it once. The season for climbing Fuji is short (from July 10 to September 10). It was decided to climb at the beginning of the season, July 14. Thanks to the Japanese second-hand stores (highly recommended), I quickly found warm clothes, hiking boots and sticks, a thermos and other trifles. For the two of us (me and my friend) there was a backpack of energy bars, three liters of water, rain coats and my camera.

The climb began at 7 pm from the altitude of 2700 meters, and at 9 am, taking into account the sleep break, we were at the peak of 3776 meters. Though tired, cold, were we happy to be there, because it meant conquering the highest mountain in Japan. The descent took another 7 hours, and in the evening we were at home and could not believe what had happened.

Of course, it was the best experience of my life. It helped me understand that there is nothing that is impossible, only poorly planned.

I am grateful to the university for the opportunity not only to experience this semester abroad in my favorite country but also to live there on my own and make many important decisions in life.

2. TUFS Summer School program

https://tufs-tenkai2rus-jp.com/summerschool2019/

Milena ADILBAEVA

The program of the Summer School at TUFS was divided into two parts: at the first week there was a tandem learning, in the second – lectures about relations between Russia and Japan, and Japanese companies.

I really liked this internship! During the school, I could know more about “SONY” and “NHK” companies, listen very informative lectures and also visit Tokyo for the first time.

I am very glad that I was able to meet Japanese students and meet with my Russian friends living in Japan. Practicing language was a great pleasure: speaking Japanese 24/7 helped to significantly improve communication skills.

Moreover, knowledge and impressions gained at the Summer School helped to improve understanding Japanese and Russian culture. I would like to visit TUFS again!

Maria KIIAEVA

We have completed the two-week “Japan-Russia Business Summer School” at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. We worked in pairs and attended lectures as part of our classes. Additionally, we took tours to various museums and visited several Japanese companies.

I found the Summer School fascinating and I believe this experience might be useful for my future studies. I’d like to especially point out team workshops where our task was to discuss a given topic for 20 minutes using only Russian or Japanese. However, it was somewhat challenging for me at first as I felt nervous to speak the foreign language to its native speakers. Happily, these difficulties quickly disappeared as we got to know each other closer.

The lecture week was interesting as well. I was only a bit confused when I was sitting the lectures in Japanese as my language skills are not that proficient to be able to comfortably understand the business Japanese. At the same time, these lectures were extremely useful for my future career, especially those on Japan-Russia relationship.

Polina ZHMAEVA

I was on an internship at a summer school in Tokyo university of foreign studies this summer. The curriculum was divided into two parts: a week of tandem language learning and a week of lectures. We were practicing Japanese language with students who are studying Russian at the university. It was an interesting experience that made it possible to communicate closely with native speakers and make Japanese friends, communication with whom has not disappeared to this day. I appreciate this approach to learning because it was in a free way.

Students have the opportunity to learn a lot of useful practical information from professionals during the week of lectures. We were told not only the theory but also allowed to show how well this information had been understood.

Thus, two weeks at the summer school helped to overcome the language barrier and begin to communicate with native speakers without any obstacles. Although, it was my first visit to Japan, learning at TUFS contributed to the fact that I quickly got used to everything unusual.

July Activity Report

31 July 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

On July 20 and 21, the 10th J-Fest, the largest Japanese culture event in Russia, was held at Gorky Park. This was also the final event of the Japan-Russia Relations Year that began last year.

Attendees participated in fun masterclasses, tried popular Japanese foods and bought commemorative souvenirs, Japanese products and handmade accessories. In addition to this, Japanese and Russian teachers gave introductions to tea ceremony, calligraphy, flower arranging, bonsai, traditional crafts and martial arts.

The main performer of the day was the Japanese taiko group, ASKA-GUMI. This year, a cosplay parade was also held for the first time, and was participated in by 200 cosplayers. School of Asian Studies second year Ksenia Dubik participated in the festival as a volunteer.

“In 2017 I attended my first J-Fest by chance, and it set the course of my future. After entering university, my classmates told me that you can participate in the festival as a volunteer.

Unfortunately I missed the application deadline that year, so I’ve been waiting since last winter to apply for the next one.

I passed the selection process pretty easily. My volunteer experience and basic knowledge of Japanese helped me secure a good job (working the sides of “yagura”, the main stage). I was also able to speak with university students invited to the event from Yamagata. They taught me about the hanagasa dance that is performed during Yamagata’s Hanagasa Festival.

Gorky Park was so full of people these last two days. The festival is expanding to the point where everyone knows about it now!

The festival was mostly visited by anime fans who dressed up as their favorite anime characters and showed off their cosplay skills. There were also booths selling anime figurines, manga and Asian snacks that attracted these anime fans.

The food court was a big success, and offered okonomiyaki, ramen, taiyaki and green tea. The festival really felt like an authentic Japanese festival, and even attracted Japanese families living in Russia.

I’ll never forget my experience as a volunteer at this festival, and on top of improving my communication skills and ability to react quickly, it was an opportunity for me to like my own major even more.

Japan is a surprising country, and seeing the Russian public appreciating Japanese culture made me, as a future Japan specialist, very happy. I am grateful to have has this amazing chance to learn about Japanese culture, and to other people for enjoying it with me.”

Photos by Alexander Dvoryankin
More photo
https://rb.bazium.com/chronicle/j-fest-summer-2019
https://j-fest.org/
https://vk.com/jfestival

June Activity Report

30 June 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello, mina-san!

The June report will be in English. In June, in HSE the classes have ended, the students have passed their final exams and went for the summer holidays. But important and interesting events in School of Asian Studies HSE don’t end there.

1. Deloitte Summer Business School

It is no secret that if you have mastered new skills and learned new information, it is very important to put it into practice. In June students of School of Asian Studies HSE and a TUFS exchange student got an opportunity to participate in a 3-day Summer Business School at Moscow office of “Deloitte”, a world-renowned company, providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services. This internship was organized with the support of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The students told us how their practice went and what they could learn.

Milena Adilbaeva, student of School of Asian Studies HSE, 2nd year

I am very happy that I could participate in the Summer Business School at “Deloitte”. I gained invaluable experience: discovered a new company and also made acquaintances with exciting people. I am very attracted by recruitment policy of “Deloitte” because this company is ready to hire new graduates and train them. Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised by the attitude of the staff towards us – it felt that they were really interested in their work, and this is wonderful.

During these three days I learned a lot: I listened to a lecture in Japanese for the first time and also improved my public speaking skills. Recently, I became interested in business, and during this internship understood that I should deepen knowledge in this sphere. Also it was a golden opportunity to get acquainted with so many talented and interesting students from Russia and Japan.

Speakers actively communicated with us and sincerely wanted to teach us something new. I am grateful to the company “Deloitte” for the hospitality and the intense program of the school and also to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies for the opportunity to participate in it!

Maria Kiyaeva, student of School of Asian Studies HSE, 2nd year

We were given an opportunity to participate in Deloitte summer business school. Deloitte made a lasting impression on me. Before summer school I had some information about working in a large consulting and auditing corporation. Deloitte’s employees answered questions I was interested in regarding work as a whole and slightly dispelled the myths about work schedules and the atmosphere between employees in the company. It turned out that Deloitte is a company with a soul. They do not attempt to earn all the money in the world, but to grow with their employees and customers. Therefore, the company has a special department that specializes in trainings and workshops. Deloitte is a company that for many years has been training highly qualified employees to provide its customers with the best possible expertise.

Most of all in the company I liked its team. I am not really into audit and financial services, but it was the people at Deloitte who created the friendliest atmosphere during these three days. Employees from various departments worked with us, but they were all united by love for their work and a desire to share it with us.

Natalia Bakusheva, graduate of School of Asian Studies HSE

The most amusing and pleasant part of the program was the friendly atmosphere between the participants and the organizers. The lecturers paid attention to the audience and communicated with the students a lot, and the staff were very supportive and always willing to answer our questions. The only thing I feel sad about is that the program seems to be rather short. In 3 days we were given 4 important and informative lections and a lot of material for further studies on a variety of topics – for instance, about economic relations between Russia and Japan. I cannot even imagine how much the other students that come after us will be able to learn if the program is extended for 5 working days at least.

Abe Taishi, exchange student of TUFS

今回のインターンシップで、日本企業がロシアでどのようにビジネスを行なっているか、そして今後どのような分野にビジネスチャンスがあるのかを知ることができた。

二日目の午後のプレゼンテーションに関する講義では、効果的なプレゼンを行うためのヒントを得た。講義時間内に実際に自分でプレゼンをして、的確なアドバイスも頂いたので今後に活かしたい。

Through this internship, I was able to learn about how Japanese companies do business in Russia, and what kinds of business opportunities are coming up in which fields.

On the second day, in the afternoon lecture on presentations, I got some hints on how to give effective presentations. In this lecture I also gave my own presentation, and received some good advice, so I would like to use this going forward.

2. Graduation ceremony

On June 28, the annual graduation ceremony took place at School of Asian Studies HSE. 25 graduates of the Section of Japanese studies received their long-awaited diplomas. This means that new young specialists have entered into the sphere of Japanese research.

Newly graduated students have different life plans. Some will continue to study in master’s degree programmes. Some will now look for work and enter into the adult life. Others want to go to Japan and continue their studies there. Professor Alexey Maslov, head of School of Asian Studies, teachers and administrative staff congratulated the graduates and wished them good luck in achieving their high goals.

We hope that graduates of the School of Asian Studies will not only be able to apply their knowledge in their professional activities, but also serve the cause of strengthening Russian-Japanese relations.

May Activity Report

31 May 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

The School of Asian Studies “Oriental Crazy Day”

Asian countries are known for connecting many people with their rich traditions.
The School of Asian Studies (SAS) at HSE continues to show brilliant academic results in their “Oriental” curriculum, so on May 19 they held the 6th Asian studies day, “Oriental Crazy Day”. This event is a product of the combined efforts of the Asian Studies students and faculty, and students from HSE Lyceum.

One of the organizers of the event, Ekaterina Vasenyova, said “this is my second year supervising the Japanese department’s preparations for this event. This event grows bigger every year, so we try to add more interesting attractions for the guests.”

This year there was an ikebana (flower arranging) demonstration by Urana Kuular, and a presentation on Japanese swords by Sergei Valchenko, a member of the Japanese Sword Museum (NBTHK-JAPAN).

People who actually came to Oriental Crazy Day were able to find what interested them most.

Guests enjoyed trying Asian calligraphy, traditional games, Asian sweets, Arabic coffee and Japanese tea.

For the creatives out there, there was a corner displaying origami, which many people have known about since childhood, and ink paintings, one of the types of Japanese paintings.

Film enthusiasts discussed many aspects of South Korean cinema with members of the South Korean Film Club, such as Kim Ki-duk’s films and K-dramas.

As written above, there were many different events, so it was also very enjoyable for people who don’t know much about East Asia.

“I’m studying economic assessment, but my friend invited me so I came. Of course, I don’t know much about the things on display here, but it was very interesting and I want to learn more about East Asia” – Nikita, second year student at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Oriental Crazy Day also served as an open day for students planning to apply to the School of Asian Studies or HSE Lyceum.

Aleksey Maslov, Dean of the SAS, set up an online connection from the easternmost city of Russia, Vladivostok, and talked about modern orientalism.

There was also a consultation corner to set up to give students and prospective students from HSE Lyceum information about entering and studying at HSE.

HSE Lyceum students Alena and Alina participated not only as attendees, but also as helpers at the consultation corner:

“Middle school students and their parents also came to the consultation corner, and they asked us about the entrance process and classes at HSE Lyceum, and how it is different from other schools. After our work at the consultation corner was over, we were able to visit other corners. I got a henna tattoo, which is perfect for summer. Of course, we haven’t yet decided what department to enter at the university. I am also thinking about the World Economy and International Relations departments. However, I will forever be interested in East Asia.

The climax of this event was a concert.

The students sang songs in Korean and Chinese, and put on comedic skits they had made themselves.

The comedic “thunder” of kabuki surprised the audience. It was a performance by students in the acting workshop project run by Evgeny Steiner, professor at the School of Asian Studies.

Professional Japanese music players Tatyana Rechnaya and Dmitry Kalinin reintroduced audiences to popular Western songs played in a traditional Japanese style.

There was also a flashmob to the popular K-pop song, Gangnam Style, that no one could resist joining in with.

Oriental Crazy Day 2019 came to an end, but I think memories of the event will last inside everyone for a long time.

The most important part of this day wasn’t the delicious food or the fun booths, but rather it was gathering people who are interested in East Asia and reconfirming their love for the surprisingly diverse cultures of the region.

April Activity Report

30 April 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Yulia Korovina

Hello everyone!

It’s been a while, but I would like to report on what’s been going on at the Higher School of Economics (HSE).

My name is Yulia Korovina, and I am the new GJO coordinator. Each month, I will report on the interesting happenings here at the Moscow GJO.

Here at HSE, the Japan Club, “Musubi”, has been run for the last two years by students studying Japanese in the School of Asian Studies (SAS). This club is assisted by staff from the SAS, such as Roli Dzhayn and myself, who organize fun events so that the students can also learn about Japanese culture outside of the classroom.

On April 12, a regular meeting of the Japanese film club was held. The students watched “Departures,” the film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Oscars.

Losing someone is a very painful thing for anyone. What do people feel during these times? Do we all experience this feeling of loss in the same way, or in different ways? To answer these questions, we HSE teachers invited Japanese film expert, Anastasia Fedorova (Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies) https://www.hse.ru/staff/aafedorova.

The film club’s meeting was held as an open discussion. During this, students asked questions, exchanged opinions and, with the assistance of Ms. Fedorova, analyzed the meaning and ideas director TAKITA Yojiro put into his film.

On April 19, Ivan Tyulenev gave a lecture titled “The power of the sword and the power of the law.” Ivan studied at the HSE Lyceum (the HSE’s affiliate high school), and is very interested in Japanese history. This lecture was attended by students from both HSE and the HSE Lyceum, and together they learnt about the Kamakura shogunate.

Ivan explained in detail the background of the founding of the shogunate during the Sengoku period (the age of warring states), and talked about the troubles the shoguns faced during the first ten years or so, and how they went about solving social and political issues. A vocabulary list was handed out to attendees so that they wouldn’t get confused about the structure of the shogunates or the names of positions. Everyone made their own version of the “Goseibai Shikimoku” (Formulary of Adjudications) without complaint, and became interested in the great tactitian, Hojo Yasutoki, who quickly became the star of the lecture. After the lecture, attendees asked Ivan questions, and shared their opinions on historical events.