October 10, 2024
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University

The University of Toyo (Tokyo, Japan) is an important and reliable partner of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University. Since 2022, Grinchenko University and Toyo University have been actively developing educational and scientific cooperation, and academic mobility is an important area of cooperation between two universities. In October 2024, four 3rd year students of the educational program “Language and Literature (Japanese)” - Oleksandra Matieva, Vladyslav Stepanchuk, Kateryna Vasylieva and Anna Zahrebelko - began a semester-long academic mobility program at Toyo University. 

On October 10, 2024, our students of Japanese studies met with the President of Toyo University, Ms. Etsuko Yaguchi, who congratulated the students on the start of their internship and wished them success in their training.

On the occasion of the start of his studies at the partner university, Vladyslav Stepanenko (3rd year) shared his impressions of participating in the academic mobility program: “My first impression of Japan can be described as a culture shock, but in the best sense of the word... I felt that Japanese society is characterized by a special attention to detail. The Japanese attach great importance to etiquette, for example, it is customary to bow when greeting someone, as well as to remain silent in public transport. As for studying, it is significantly different from what I am used to in Ukraine. There is a lot of practice, from answering questions to presenting projects... I study Japanese intensively outside of classes thanks to the Japanese Language Club at Toyo University and daily communication with Japanese people. Living in a dormitory becomes another important part of my experience while in Japan. One of the main advantages is that I live together with students from different countries, which creates a unique multicultural atmosphere.”

We are sincerely grateful to Toyo University and personally to the President of Toyo University, Ms. Etsuko Yaguchi, for the cooperation and opportunity for students of Grinchenko University to improve their knowledge of Japanese in one of the most famous universities in Japan.

Materials provided by SRL of Internationalization of Higher Education