WASEDA UNIV. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION CLUB FROM 1965 Come and Join Us! Let’s have a Wonderful Year at WASEDA! ABOUT US 1 Niji no kai “Niji no kai” is a club that does all kinds of different activities throughout the year. Most of the time, many international students from all over the world are involved in our activities. The events include discussing Japanese culture, playing many sports, going on trips, and drinking, etc. We look forward to seeing you guys! Statue of Okuma Shigenobu Main Gate BLDG1 BLDG7 BLDG3 The “Lounge” is where Niji no Kai hangs out and lots of international exchange students come too. Especially at lunch time, there are lots of people here. Everyone spends their time doing whatever they want; chatting, eating, doing homework, naps etc. You should try coming here! It’s on the first floor of Building No1. OUR LOUNGE!! BLDG2
Transcript
WASEDA UNIV.INTERNATIONALCOMMUNICATIONCLUB
FROM 1965
Come and Join Us! Let’s have a Wonderful Year at WASEDA!
ABOUT US
1
Niji
no
kai
“Niji no kai” is a club that does all kinds of different activities throughout the year. Most of the time, many international students from all over the world are involved in our activities. The events include discussing Japanese culture, playing many sports, going on trips, and drinking, etc. We look forward to seeing you guys!
Statue of Okuma Shigenobu
Main Gate
BLDG1
BLDG7
BLDG3
The “Lounge” is where Niji no Kai hangsout and lots of international exchange students come too. Especially at lunch time, there are lots of people here.Everyone spends their time doing whatever they want; chatting, eating,
doing homework, naps etc. You should try coming here!It’s on the first floor of Building No1.
OURLOUNGE!!
BLDG2
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If You Join UsYou Are Guaranteed To...
1.Enjoy life at school as a REAL Waseda Student!
By spending lots of time with our members, you can see for yourself how students at Waseda hang out in and out of school. We also participate in school events such as Waseda’s festival and Waseda baseball games where you’re sure to feel like a real student at our school.
There are more than 100 members in our club. Everyone has different hobbies and interests so you will definitely find someone you can get along with.
2.Make Lots of Japanese Friends
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3.Get the Chance to initiate Events of NIJI no Kai
4.Drink and Do “CALLS”
We have at least one big Nomikai per month.This is a drinking Party where we all sit in a big room at an Izakaya (Japanese style restaurant-type place where you drink) and enjoy drinking and eating.
Of course many of us regularly go to pubs or clubs, or just hang around at home and you can join us. “Calls” are what we do at Nomikais. It’s a kind of chant and the person doing the call has to keep drinking when he/she is being shouted at.
Drinking alcohol is not mandatory at Niji no Kai and you can enjoy Nomikais without getting drunk.
Every event of our club is initiated by several members of organizers called Kanji. You can be one of these organizers to take part in planning and producing these events.
Spring 春 Summer 夏 Autumn 秋
3Fuji-Q Highland Trip
6World Cooking Competition
Farewell PartyFarewell Trip
9Welcome Party forNew Exchange Students
4OHANAMIFreshmen Welcome PartyEnglish StudySports Festival
MAIN EVENTSNiji no kai holds a lot of events throughout the year!
Winter 冬
12X’mas PartyHot Spring Trip
1Countdown PartyNew Year’s Party
2Skiing&Snowboarding
April
OHANAMI (SAKURA VIEWING PARTY)
Ohanami is one of the events that Japanese love!We go on a picnic to view Sakura (Cherry blossoms).In April, we also hold lots of welcome parties forfreshmen.
May
100KM HIKEThis is the most unique event of Waseda! We take a 100km walk for 2 days wearing funny costumes. If you want to challenge your physical and mental strength, come and join this event with your funniest costumes! Those who completed walking 100km will gain “Waseda Spirit”!! 4
Jun
WORLD COOKING COMPETITIONNiji’s cooking competition! Let’s make and have some delicioustraditional meals from different countries!It’s a good chance to learn new dishes andhow to make them. Those who are good atcooking can become a hero!
Oct
SOUKEISENWe go to the ballpark to cheer the Waseda baseball team. The performance of the cheer leading girls and the brass bands will make the atmosphere even more incredible! Show our love for Waseda! Beat the Keio!
Nov
WASEDA FESTIVALIt’s a day that the whole campus is filled with awesome food stalls and show booths that each club or community will offer! Many people from other universities and even high school students come to visit Waseda! Let’s prove together that Waseda is the most fabulous university in Japan!
Dec
X’MAS PARTYGet ready to have an amazing night with your coolest or sexiest dresses. No matter what religion you believe, whether you are single or not, you enjoy your night having drinks and chatting with other mates!
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Jan
COUNTDOWN PARTYSay goodbye to the old year, and greet the new year with! We go to the shrine to and take part in the countdown event. After that we drink all night long to celebrate the new year, and then early in the morning we go to the shrine again to pray to the god so that our hope will become true.
Feb
SKIING & SNOWBOARDINGGet yourself ready to go the mountains covered with nice lovely white snow! For some of you it might be the first timein your life to see the snow, and it is a fantastic view! Having romance withsomeone in a beautiful winter day wouldn’t be a
OTHER STUFF
Baseball, soccer, basketball,dancing,cooking,watching movies,birthday parties, drinking outside and so much more...
We have lots of events and you can host any event that you want!!! All of the events are good chance to make lots of friends, improve your Japanese skills and enjoy life as a REAL Waseda Student. Join us and see what it’s like, we hope to see you soon!!
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bad idea!
JAPAN STUDY and WORLD STUDY are events where you can learn about culture while surrounding yourself with the Japanese students of Niji no Kai.In JAPAN STUDY, we talk about all sorts of different things about Japanese culture and you can communicate with many Japanese students. It’s good chance for you to improve your Japanese skills!
On the other hand, WORLD STUDY is held by international students and focuses on learning about different cultures from all over the world. At WORLD STUDY, you can introduce your own country, culture, and so on. These are great opportunities for you to learn about not only the culture of Japan, but the cultures of the world.
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JAPAN STUDY & WORLD STUDY
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TheVoiceofNIJI --What do you think of NIJI?
Aiko Sakai
--Why did you join Niji no kai?
There was no concrete “beginning” with Niji for me. We were warmly welcomed to their events, and as I continued going, when I knew it, I was a part of Niji!--What is your favorite event in Niji?
All events, big or small were incredibly fun! Some of the events I remember the most are the Christmas Party, 100Hai, and the gasshukus (camp). The Christmas Party this year was semi-formal, and was like an American “themed party”. The 100Hai was memorable because it was totally an *only-in-Waseda* experience. Who in their right mind would pay to walk 125km in two days... for nothing?? It was worth it though; I got to do some deep talks with people (that’s about all you can do while you’re walking),
and got to see people’s kindness. And the Niji’s waiting for you at the goal, and pouring beer all over you as you cross the finish line; priceless.--There are different kinds of people in Niji. How is Niji’s atmosphere?
I feel that Niji has a very homey kind of atmosphere, and it’s a place you can come to anytime. There is no boundary between the “Japanese” and the “Ryuugakusei”; we’re just friends that hang out to have a good time. What’s different is that we get to learn random facts about each other because we are from different backgrounds. The level of Japanese or English you speak doesn’t matter here, as long as you have the willingness to listen and understand (which definitely exists in Niji!)
--BTW,have you ever been involved in an international relationship?
Unfortunately no...--What do you think of Japanese men?
They’re different, for sure. I’ve seen friends be in relationships here, but it all seems like the guys don’t take the initiative. The girls have to prod and push and shove to get any response from them. Oh, and even if you are able to get into a relationship, for some reason many guys want to keep it on the DL, and no PDA at all...Which (sadly) seems like the majority of Niji men, don’t you think?
--well..they are not all kind of that. As you know, I’m not that kind of guy!Joking apart, What is Niji to you?
My home away from home. A place where I knew I could always come to. My life in Waseda. My life in Japan. Niji no Kai is my family.
from California
NIJI INTERVIEW VOL.1
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from Germany
Aaron Drais
My experience with Niji no Kai began on my very first day in Japan. After a grueling 9 hour flight and battlings with customs with my over-packed bags, I was greeted by a group of Waseda students from Niji and WIC. Let me tell you, no sight was ever more welcome!
Even though I was only supposed to be in Tokyo for a few short months, and had barely passable Japanese, the awesome people in Niji welcomed me with open arms. I can honestly say that without their friendship, ,my time here in Japan would be much more lonely. Since that first day, I have taken part in
countless drinking parties, trips all around Tokyo, and the most amazing ski/snowboard trip ever. I have ever been granted the opportunity to help lead an event, and give back to the group that has given me so much. To all my Niji no Kai family:I LOVE YOU! To all the new Ryugakusei: Welcome Home.
from Oregon
NIJI INTERVIEW VOL.2
Rike Stegemann
THE VOICE OF NIJI
--Why did you join Niji no kai? When I first come to Japan, I took part in some of Niji no kai’s activities and met a lot of nice and warm people. So I joined so I could spend more time with those people.--What do you think of the good points in Niji?
I think the fact that everyone is very interested in cultural exchange is a lot of fun. People always want to know a lot about each of other and each other’s countries, which is also why it’s so easy to strike up a conversation. Also, the event’s have a good balance between “serious” events (like Japan study, Tokyo Tour) and casual, social events (like drink party, BBQ).
--I think so too. What events did you enjoy?
Personally, I think the Tokyo Tour was very helpful. And while I also like Japan study (who wouldn’t want to learn some Japanese slang?), I guess the social events were some of the best memories because I made some wonderful friends over beer or two.--Yes, we can make many friends in events and drink parties. You know, you were one of BBQ organizers. Why did you try being the organizer?
Being asked to help organize on event made me really happy, because I wanted to give something back to the Niji people. But since it was the first time, I felt kind of useless sometimes. In the end, it was a great event with a lot of people and I think I’ve never talked to that many people in only a few hours in my life.
--How can we tell the good points in Niji no kai to ryuugakusei? At first all Niji can do is hand out their schedule and provide information regarding their activities to get people interested. The good points are something people will discover themselves.
--Finally, what’s international communication for you? To me, it means learning things about other people, countries and cultures that you cannot find in a book. It’s so interesting to hear people’s opinions about their home countries, Japan and Germany, and even though I’ve only been here for four months, I feel like I’ve learned a lot more about other countries than in my 13 years in school.
PICK UP!THE GREAT 8 OF NIJI
TADA
SHINTARO
TSUHA MIDORI10
Midori is one of the most genki members in Niji no Kai.
She has great leadership and public speaking skills. She
is easy going and passionate in helping people. Hanging
out with Midori is always a lot of fun.
She is cute, fashionable, and
proud of being an Okinawa Jin!
He’s got a good personality and is very friendly. The way
he talks to us foreign students in Japanese really helps us improve our
speaking skills because many SILS Japanese classmates don’t talk to us
in Japanese. He’s always ready to answer questions and give advice. He
has the ability to communicate with people from many countries, so feel free
to talk to him!
OBATAKEIICHI
MAEDA HINAKO
11 KIBA SHUTA
Keiichi is one of the goofiest, nicest,care-free people you will ever meet in your
entire life. No joke. No matter what kind of day you’ve been having he can always put a smile on your face and you are bound to have an awesome time when you’re around him.
If you look up the word “lovable”, you’d find Hina’s picture as the definition. Always ready to
brighten your day with a friendly smile that’s contagious. She’ll have you smiling from ear to ear. She’ so silly that she doesn’t even know it (or does she?) and she’ll make your belly ache with laughter.
One of the nicest guys you’re likely to meet, always with a ready smile and an answer at hand. He’s a 3rd year student, and currently in charge of Niji’s International Section. If you ever have a question, he’s always more than willing to help out. Ladies watch out: when he isn’t jet-setting around the world in his private plane, he is busy breaking hearts with reckless abandon. Word on the street is he’s single, but you didn’t hear thatfrom me!
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MATSUHAMA SHOUHEI
UEMURAMOMOKO
Niji no Kai’s mascot; she’s popular with everyone in Niji no Kai! She’s often the center of attention and is picked on by her loving Niji members. Whether you’re a girl, guy, Japanese, or a foreign, she’ll greet you with her kindness. She is patient and reliable; if you ever need help, she’ll gladly lend you a hand. She is definitely one of a kind, so make sure you meet her!
Better known as matuun or Otun-tun.Maybe better known as the guy flirting with girls at nomikais when he’s drunken :Dhaha just kidding XD On a different note, he’s our proud treasurer, and can solve a crazy nomikai situation in a second. He may be shy at first,but he is one of THE BEST and nicest and coolest guys you will ever meet, so go holler at him right now!!
He’s good looking, cool, but a little bit cute.He’s an awesome cook so if you get to eat any of his cooking you’re lucky! He looks scary, but he’s not so just approach him and he’ll talk to you. He’s especially nice to the foreign students so you’re in luck! P.S. As long as you talk about dirty stuff you’ll be fine!
UYAMA YUTAKA
contact info.
@nijinokai
If you e-mail us here:
[email protected]’ll send you information on our events throughout the year.And this is our club’s homepage:)
http://www.niji-waseda.comTake a look at our pictures and blog to see what our activities are like.
You might be so excited and worried at the same time. Many what-ifs might be driving you crazy. But you don’t even need to worry about that. We will strive to make your time here in Japan fruitful and meaningful, both in terms of building experience with Niji and enjoying our culture. Let’s have lots more fun together! I can’t wait to see YOU!@Yoshio
Thank you for reading the pamphlet about Niji no kai. Will you be interested in our circle? I look forward to seeing you in our events and I hope you will enjoy studying abroad in Japan!@Emi
Editor’s Notes
Welcome to Japan you guys! Probably you might have some problems during your stay, but there is no need to worry. Anytime you have trouble, feel free to ask one of our members. We can make your worried face into a nice smiling one! Niji no kai is a place for me, for you, and for everyone! Come join us and become JAPANHOLIC! @Seiya
