Japanese Language and Culture Youth Conference (Report)
2017/12/19
On Friday the 8th of December, the Japanese Language and Culture Youth Conference was held at Bell Baxter High School in Fife.
The Conference was organised by Bell Baxter High School Curriculum Leader for International Languages and Culture Dr Petra McLay, and workshops were held by Ms Sandie Robb of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Dr Yoko Matsumoto-Sturt from the University of Edinburgh, Mr Makoto Netsu from the Japan Foundation in London, and staff members from the Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh.
In the morning, Consul General Matsunaga gave a short welcome speech to the S1 pupils and taught them how to say several greetings in Japanese, following which the S1 pupils participated enthusiastically in the various workshops, where they learned about Japanese language and culture through manga and anime, origami and games.
In the afternoon session, Consul General Matsunaga gave a speech to the S5 pupils about studying Japanese from a business perspective. He talked about his own experience and the benefits of studying a foreign language, and pupils were also given the opportunity to ask questions.
The pupils participated with great enthusiasm, and we hope that the conference has inspired more young people to get interested in Japanese and language learning.
The Conference was organised by Bell Baxter High School Curriculum Leader for International Languages and Culture Dr Petra McLay, and workshops were held by Ms Sandie Robb of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Dr Yoko Matsumoto-Sturt from the University of Edinburgh, Mr Makoto Netsu from the Japan Foundation in London, and staff members from the Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh.
In the morning, Consul General Matsunaga gave a short welcome speech to the S1 pupils and taught them how to say several greetings in Japanese, following which the S1 pupils participated enthusiastically in the various workshops, where they learned about Japanese language and culture through manga and anime, origami and games.
In the afternoon session, Consul General Matsunaga gave a speech to the S5 pupils about studying Japanese from a business perspective. He talked about his own experience and the benefits of studying a foreign language, and pupils were also given the opportunity to ask questions.
The pupils participated with great enthusiasm, and we hope that the conference has inspired more young people to get interested in Japanese and language learning.