‘Re-inventing Japan’ project concludes final Pisay visit

SEPTEMBER 8 — After five years of annual visits to the Philippine Science High School — Main Campus (PSHS-MC), Kyushu University conducted its last in relation to the ‘Reinventing Japan’ project.

‘Reinventing Japan’ is an initiative of the Kyushu University — Faculty of Law to “bridge ASEAN and Japan… in the development of a legal mind” by cooperating with four leading universities in ASEAN — among which was the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) — but PSHS-MC had also been a part of their Philippine itinerary.

Grade 8 — Champaca were chosen to participate in the event where they were lectured on Ume (Japanese plum) and paper-folding in addition to Japanese culture from 10AM until noon.

There were 15 Kyushu University Law students and two professors who facilitated the activities.

“It was fun. Very. Super. And then we got to meet a lot of people. Exciting din siya. We got to know the basic culture of Japan din so we wanted to go to Japan right after the conference,” Champaca President Jhanea Rodriguez said.

Revisiting ‘Re-inventing Japan’ in Pisay

“Kyushu University currently has a project called the Re-inventing Japan Project, which involves Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Apart from our University contacts and partners, we also sought to have partners with local high schools,” Asst. Prof. Antonio Formacion of the Kyushu University — Faculty of Law said.

When asked how they came to choose PSHS-MC, Formacion replied, “Philippine Science was an obvious and easy choice. Quite a lot of your teachers had trainings or graduated from Japan so it was easier to start the process.”

Formacion continued, “[Also] Our students mostly come from the law faculty, so it would be more challenging to connect with high school students who are geared towards the natural sciences.”

For five years, the Exchange Program Committee of the PSHS-MC would select a group of students from a year level with Japanese culture in their curriculum. This school year, they chose the eighth grade.

“The first time, we only selected one section. Naging three sections, but then we realized it was harder to facilitate, so we returned to only one section,” incumbent Exchange Program Committee chair Rose Butaran mentioned.

Every year, the PSHS-MC visit would be conducted in the morning. Come afternoon, Kyushu University students and staff would visit the AdMU Law School.

Butaran found something different this school year, however. She mentioned how the Kyushu delegates no longer had to go through the normal formalities which accompany events like this.

“Different because the program is more settled. Alam ko na what they don’t need to do like the courtesy call, diretso na lang sa activities. Established na siya so no need to worry about structure,” Butaran remarked.

A ‘fun’ learning time

The host section, 8-Champaca, learned a lot from the visit.

“Really favorite part [ko] ‘yung nag-taste kami ng iba’t ibang klaseng Ume. Iba-iba ‘yung klase ng Ume. Parang pine-present nila yung Ume in different ways,” Rodriguez said.

In addition, Rodriguez “learned na we had really different cultures, especially with Japan kasi they were super religious. Like they stick to their culture from the earliest centuries.”

The PSHS-MC students were not only ones who enjoyed though.

Formacion said, “We found the students of PSHS to be very receptive to learn Japanese culture. The popularity of Japanese pop culture is still influencing Filipino kids it seems, I take that as a positive sign.”

Butaran also expressed positive sentiments.

“It’s fun to watch. It’s not everyday you meet Japanese people. It’s not everyday that you learn something firsthand,” Butaran remarked.

Butaran continued, “It might seem one-way, but they learn when students are participative. For example, some students have gone to Japan, but not all have gone to the [Kyushu University’s] area, so they know now what students know and where they go.”

More visits?

When asked if further links to Kyushu University were possible, Butaran replied, “We actually inquired if we can send students to [Kyushu University], but theirs is more of a cultural program, which might not be as beneficial to us as we don’t have a foreign language subject in the school.”

However, Formacion said there are many opportunities available to PSHS-MC students.

“We would be very happy if some PSHS students would consider our university for their future studies. We have very exciting courses that would be very attractive to PSHS students. In the field of alternative energy (hydrogen fuel), space engineering, medical/genetic research, among others, Kyushu University consistently ranks amongst the top,” Formacion responded.

Now, Kyushu University is looking for ways to visit PSHS-MC again.

“We hope to continue with our visits. Though our five-year project is concluding this year, we hope to find other funding to continue,” Formacion said.

As to why these kinds of activities are significant, Formacion remarked, “It exposes our students to life and education outside of Japan. Building and molding our students to have an international outlook, especially in the ASEAN region is critical in the future of the country. ASEAN is becoming more important, not only as a trading partner or investment areas for Japanese companies, but also seen as a region that shares Japan’s vision for a stable and prosperous Asia. Our students need to know, understand, and appreciate where their future counterparts are coming from. There is no alternative to face-to-face interactions for a harmonious future.”