PROSPECTUS2017

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43A Physics teacher, I am very fortunate to get the opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills in a country that borne many Physics Nobel Laureates. I had a Sensei who is a great supervisor academically and is willing to help me with everyday hustle and bustle as I'm still learning to be literate. He also introduced me to many important people, gave me some chances to participate in some occasions, and took me to visit several places to benefit my research and study.I would always be grateful for my Japan life, more that I got to choose a city that is not too urban. The city has so much to offer: scenery, good food, and well mannered people who welcome me in their life, among others. There are various enriching activities to participate in, organised by local people as well as the university. The International Students' association would like to help new students to adapt, it also hold several programs as the chance to meet not only fellow foreigners but also Japanese people from different walk of lives. Living abroad, language barrier could be a hindrance to a vibrant life, but it's a delight to learn Japanese in its country as you can always practice with native speakers. There are also some programs provided by the university and some volunteers. I got the impression that Japanese people are eager to help in any way they could. Ever wonder how you are going to practice your religion? People here are tolerant, supportive even. Some people ask about religious activities, out of curiosity. If you are a muslim, the university offers halal menu for lunch at one of their canteens and you could order halal food at many online stores easily, even the mosque provides some. Yes, there is a mosque just at the front of the university. For some christians students, there are churches and organisations to support you as well.Welcome to ShimadaiEva Urbaneja (France)Faculty of Law and LiteratureWhen I knew that I was leaving France for Shimane, I was so happy, but I wondered if it would be ok. As a foreigner, I didn’t know a lot about Matsue and Shimane so I was kind of afraid. « What kind of place it is ? » « Is the university good ? ». Now I can tell you : It’s so great ! Frist I will talk about the university. As an exchange student here to improve my Japanese and to discover Japanese culture, Shimane University is an ideal place. The courses are all in Japanese, but don’t panic, at the beginning it can be scary, but teachers are here to help you, they will do anything to let you understand and one day you will think : « oh, I understand everything ! ». You will progress a lot in Japanese and especially you will learn a lot about Japanese traditional culture. You will participate to probably the best school trip you can do as a Japan lover ! Shrine visits, tea ceremony, traditional Japanese cuisine, Kimono fitting, and other ! Also, the teachers are great, easy to understand, patient, and fun ! The university is a pleasant place, there is also a lot of activities, events and it’s not unusual to see at the lunch time student playing music in the courtyard.To talk about Matsue and Shimane prefecture, there is such a lot of good thing to do ! If like me, you like shrine, temple and mythology, it’s probably one of the best places in Japan. There is the sea if you want to go on the beach in summer, and there is the beautiful Daisen mountain if you want to go skiing in winter ! Finally, people of Shimane are so kind ! You will think « Japanese people are kind ! » well, it’s true, but maybe because Matsue (and Shimane in general ) are really calm, people smile a lot, are really helpful and curious. The security is incredible, it’s a really good place to live. When I came back from Tokyo (that I really loved by the way) It was so good to feel the calm and the nature of Matsue again.To conclude, I want to say that yes, Matsue and Shimane University are really good place to learn a lot ! But also don’t worry, even if a calm city, you will go out a lot, eat a lot, sing in karaoke, do purikura, and make a lot of friends !Look forward to seeing you in Matsue !Great Life Awaits You HereDyaning Anggrias (Indonesia)Teacher training student, Graduate School of EducationJapan is one of the top-performing OECD countries in reading literacy, maths and sciences with the average student scoring 540. The best-performing school systems manage to provide high-quality education to all students. (http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/education/)Messages from International Partners