学長室だより

2017 JCLP Welcome Address

2017. 7. 6,
Kota Yamada
President of Keiwa College

20170706JCLP歓迎会

Welcome from President Yamada

 

Hello, Howard students, Dylan, Taylor, Shaylah, Ousman, and Na’Vaughn. Welcome to Keiwa College, welcome to Shibata City & Seiro Town, and welcome to Niigata Prefecture. You are all welcome!

Is this your first visit to Japan? Oh, is it? The first impression is very important. I hope you will have a good impression of Japan and good impression of Keiwa. Have you ever heard of Niigata? Oh, no? That’s OK. Keiwa College is situated in Shibata City, and Shibata City is situated in Niigata Prefecture. All right?

Niigata Pref. is known as a “Snow Country” throughout Japan. (Sorry there is no snow around here at this time of the summer season.) Snow melting water makes tasteful brand rice. Niigata Pref. is very famous for her brand rice in Japan. The name of the brand rice is Koshi Hikari, Koshi is an ancient name for Niigata, and Hikari means the light; that is, the light of Niigata. Snow melting water also makes good rice wine, Sake. There are one hundred rice wine breweries and another one hundred hot springs in Niigata Pref. Please enjoy rice, rice wine and hot springs during your short stay here, if possible.

Keiwa College is a four-year Christian liberal arts college. We have one faculty, the Faculty of Humanities, which has 3 departments: the Department of English Culture & Communication, the Department of International Affairs, and the Department of Community and Social Welfare.

The number of students is about 600 and the number of full time foreign students is 40 this year.
They are from China, Vietnam, and Thailand. There are also several students from Spain, Italy, Philippines and Ghana who are brought up & educated in Japan and 8 part time special students from China. There is a big diversity among students and among educational programs.

Keiwa College is a tiny-little college among 777 Japanese universities and colleges. Have you ever heard of a Japanese proverb? :“Sansyo wa kotsubu de piritto karai,” in Japanese? In English it means “a Japanese pepper is tiny-little, but it is hot.” Keiwa College is like a Japanese pepper, it is tiny-little, but it is hot!! Please enjoy Japanese Language and Culture Program (JCLP) and enjoy your stay here. Thank you.