Japanese Tea as a Basis for the Armenian-Japanese Educational Friendship
07.09.2015
Today the students studying Japanese at Yerevan State University have gathered around the tea table together with the delegation of the Japanese Kagawa University.
The meeting was organized in the frameworks of the cooperation between YSU Faculty of International Relations and the Embassy of Japan in RA. Though such a visit is organized in Armenia for already the 5th year, YSU receives the Japanese guests for the first time.
“It is already the second year that the students of our faculty study Japanese as the second foreign language and now they have the opportunity to communicate directly with the native speakers and to enhance their knowledge”, says Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Relations Arthur Israyelyan.
The program is also interesting because while being here in Armenia the Japanese students will live in the apartments of the Armenian students, thus getting to know Armenia, Armenian culture, traditions and way of living closer.
The meeting began with the hymns of the two countries, which were performed directly by the students. Then Arthur Israyelyan presented the Japanese guests the symbols of this year–forget-me-nots as badges. The Japanese students also had presents–booklets telling about Kagawa prefecture, their university, as well as souvenirs, which are considered national symbols.
After showing the Japanese culture, traditions, cuisine and musical instruments by means of a video show they passed on to the main ceremony of the meeting–to the real Japanese tea-drinking ceremony served directly by the tea-master.
Before passing to the main tea-drinking ceremony, the attendees tried traditional Japanese sweets–Youkan, which is envisaged for softening the slightly bitter taste of tea. The master, who by the way, owns a teahouse and an ikebana shop in Japan, showed the way of making a tea with the right sequence of steps, its ways of serving and even drinking, presented the meaning of utensils.
During the event, the Armenian students delivered musical performances, told about Armenia, YSU, and the organization of the teaching process at the Faculty of International Relations communicating with their peers only in Japanese.
In the staff of the delegation of Kagawa University there was also photographer Nobutada Kataoka, who visits Armenia for already the 8th time.
“When I came to Armenia for the first time, I don’t know why, but I saw some similarity, especially with the old Japan. And that attracted me very much to speak and tell much about Armenia in Japan. The rector of Kagawa University is also very much interested in Armenia and has a wish to carry out a student exchange or some other joint program in the future”, says Nobutada Kataoka and confesses that though he has photographed much in Armenia, but most of all he likes to photograph the smiles of the Armenians.
the material is taken from http://goo.gl/5r4EzB
translated from Armenian into English by M.Vardanyan
