At Kyushu University campuses, you will find various resources and opportunities to experience cross-cultural exchange – learning about different cultures from others and teaching your culture to them – not only with Japanese students but also with other international students from all over the world. Such experience is essential for enhancing the quality of your academic life, enriching your social life here on campus, and nurturing your personal growth as a leader of our ever-globalizing world today and in the future.
What follows are some of the resources and opportunities that you are encouraged to explore for these purposes.
Join KUFSA!
Kyushu University Foreign Students Association (KUFSA) is the University’s official student-centered organization, which, by definition, represents all international students across campuses. Currently consisting of students from around 100 different countries and territories across the world, KUFSA aims to support the academic and personal wellbeing of all international students as an integral part of the campus community by actively promoting cross-cultural exchange with Japanese students. Not only international students but also Japanese students actively take part in managing the organization as well as participating in the activities to which the organization invites them.
Enjoy participating in a variety of cross-cultural events and activities that KUFSA annually plans and carries out, which are open to anyone on campus including you. You will make many Japanese and other international friends through your involvement in KUFSA!
Click here to learn more about KUFSA
Join On-Campus Student Clubs!
Kyushu University students are active in extracurricular, on-campus, student club activities. To many of them, club activities are just as central to their student life as classroom learning is! Across campuses, students organize, and regularly recruit new members to, a variety of clubs and circles including athletic, academic, cultural, and philanthropical ones. Some are older in history, larger in the membership, and more formally structured than others. It’s easy to find cozier and more informal clubs, nonetheless. At Kyushu University, you will probably run into several student clubs that are hard to find outside Japan, and about which you may never have heard before coming to the country.
Joining one of those clubs or circles is an excellent way not only to meet Japanese students and start building lasting friendships with them; it is also a powerful way to immerse yourself in campus life and Japanese culture at large. Explore what clubs and circles are available on your campus, and join at least one that interests you.
Click here to access Kyushu University Student Club and Circle Guidebook.
The Student Exchange Salon – You Be the Event Organizer!
At the Center Zone of Ito Campus, you will find a facility called Center Zone Building 6, which houses the Student Exchange Salon – a cozy, special space for any student interested in organizing events or activities to practice cross-cultural exchange between international and Japanese students on campus. This space is for the student, not for the university staff; students are expected to take initiative to plan and carry out events or activities here, aiming to learn about different cultures and make friends beyond differences in nationality, ethnicity, cultures, languages, lifestyles, and so on.
International students are especially encouraged to take advantage of the Salon. Introduce your home culture to Japanese students, learn Japanese culture through exchange with Japanese students, and expand your network with both Japanese and other international students. Be an organizer of cross-cultural events or activities – this is an opportunity for you to contribute to further internationalize and globalize the University’s campus community!
Application and reservation are required to use the Student Exchange Salon. When interested, please contact:
General Affairs Section
International Affairs Division
Kyushu University
intlgeneral_at_jimu.kyushu-u.ac.jp
(replace _at_ with @)
