2023 Activity Report

June Activity Report

30 June 2023
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Ryota Oguri

Well, my internship will finish by the end of this month. Since May, the comfortable spring weather is still going on in the Netherlands, but by the end of June, the daytime temperature reaches 25~29 Celsius and does not drop at night, making it hard to sleep on many days. Still, unlike in Japan, the humidity was not high, so there was no uncomfortable muggy weather. However, the daytime hours are getting longer because the sun rises before 5am, and it is still light even after 10pm. Many are now relishing outdoor dining and sunbathing, as the summer characteristics are noticeably increasing.

The above photos were both taken at the end of June.

Well, the test period ended at Leiden University by the end of June, and students have started their much-anticipated summer break. As a result, I have no more classes this month, and my remaining responsibilities as an intern are monitoring the make-up exams and finalizing students’ grades (of course, it is not done only by me since I work together with other teachers). Based on that, my working days are only a few at the beginning and the end of this month, and I have the chance during my extended summer vacation to enrich my memories by traveling throughout Europe.

Reflecting on my ten-month term, it really feels that it has finished in no time, but I would like now to introspect a bit about the whole internship. First, before I started it, I had no real experience in standing and teaching Japanese in classes, so I had almost zero experience as a Japanese teacher. For this reason, I was initially skeptical about doing well in classes, but teaching at Leiden University with another teacher, I got to learn how to build every lesson, how to proceed with it, and how to teach neatly, step by step. By the end, I could plan the class flow and implement it by myself. Moreover, I got good reviews from the class students and visiting teachers (at the same time, I was able to address several areas of improvements…), and I feel I had significant practical improvements as a Japanese language teacher.

Finally, my work in this internship and my daily life in the Netherlands were not only beneficial experiences for my future, but they were also an irreplaceable joy that I will always remember. I am very satisfied that I did this internship, and I would confidently recommend it to those who are considering applying for this internship.

May Activity Report

31 May 2023
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Ryota Oguri

It started to get warmer in the Netherlands in April, but the weather became more spring-like in May. The blooming flowers all around the city create a delightful atmosphere. Most days were cloudy in April, but May brought more sunny days until it became almost consistently sunny by the end of the month. Still, contrary to the over 20℃ daytime temperature, it sometimes gets chilly to around 10℃ during mornings and evenings; it is early to let go of lightweight jackets.

By the way, on Saturday, the 28th of this month, we had a “Japan Market” event in Leiden City. It is about different Japanese goods (including sweets, Japanese-style kimonos, miscellaneous goods, and traditional handcraft goods), presented by shops in a street market-shaped outdoor event next to Leiden University, where many stools lined up on both sides of the canal. Since there were many shops, there were also a great variety of goods that made it a really worth seeing event. So, as the above photos show, there were too many visitors, it was very crowded and difficult to keep walking forward. Still, knowing that so many people are interested in Japan makes me happy. This event opens every year in the last ten days of May, and I highly recommend visiting Holland at this time.

As spring has come to many cities in Holland, many events started taking place more and more, but it is the most challenging time for students since the end-of-term exams will also take place in May at Leiden University. Especially the first-year students who had the first end-term Japanese test; they were nervous and expressed their worries, but all these feelings were alleviated when all took good marks.

I apologize for writing the last words about myself; my internship at Leiden University will end this semester. I was delighted when the students of my class, knowing that in advance, wrote me farewell letters, brought me some sweets, and made me a farewell party. Many students also told me, “Thank you so much for the lovely class,” or “I will feel sorry not to be able to see you again.” Hearing that from students made me feel like a teacher with an overwhelming blessing.

Now, there is only one month left for me here, but I want to spend every day without any regrets of leaving things undone.

April Activity Report

30 April 2023
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Ryota Oguri

In Japan, April is the season for changing clothes as the temperature rises rapidly, but in the Netherlands, May is still chilly, with temperatures hovering around 15 degrees Celsius even during the daytime. However, compared to last month, the temperature has been gradually rising, and on sunny days, the temperature has even exceeded 20 degrees Celsius. Many people are still wearing heavy coats, but since the end of April, more and more people are wearing light clothing, and I feel that it is almost time for a change of clothes in the Netherlands.

Another thing that has changed since last month is the increase of young leaves and flowers on the streets. Street trees, which until last month looked a little sad with no leaves, have started to put on leaves, giving a brighter impression. In addition, the streets are now decorated with colorful flowers, brightening up the somewhat cold-colored streets of the Netherlands. As you can see, with the rising temperatures, the streets are decorated with young leaves and flowers, and the entire town has changed to a cheerful atmosphere that evokes a sense of spring, both physically and visually.

Leiden University will be in the final exam period from the beginning to the middle of May. The students in my class seem to be having a hard time with many exams and reports, but I hope that they will be able to show the results of what they have learned so far.