A photo of Watanabe Yosuke and five students lined up

Cross talk

VOL.01

First Dean Yousuke Watanabe

Current student

In April 2025, the existing Faculty of International Communication will be reorganized,The Faculty of Global Studies has started.
This time, we will be talking with Yosuke Watanabe, the first dean of the Faculty of Global Studies.A cross-talk was held with five current students.
The real voices of students,We bring you a heartwarming message from the experienced Dean Watanabe.

First Dean

Yousuke Watanabe
3 年生

Mami Fukunaga
1st grade Indonesia Background

Amidatul Izzah

AMIDATUL IZZAH
1 年生

Haruya Ueki
2nd grade Vietnam Background

Khao Thi Nhu Ngoc

CAO THI NHU NGOC
1st grade Indonesia Background

Dien Aziza

DIEN AZIZAH

What were your reasons and expectations for enrolling at Kansai University of International Studies?
I've been interested in countries around the world since I was in junior high school, and I felt that researching them in English would broaden my perspective. I wanted to study English at university, so I chose Kansai International University, which has excellent teachers and strong support for TOEIC and studying abroad.
I was born and raised in Japan, but my parents are Vietnamese. I've always used Japanese and Vietnamese, so I wanted to make use of that. There are many international students at Kansai International University, so I thought it would be nice to improve my English skills while interacting with them.
I was originally attending a university in Vietnam, but I was looking for a university where I could study global communication, so I transferred in my second year. I took the exam online, but the staff at Kansai University of International Studies kindly supported me, which was very helpful.
I came to study at Kansai University of International Studies from Indonesia to acquire international skills in this faculty. The small class sizes make it easy to learn, and the curriculum is attractive. The GPA (Grade Point Average) system, which supports tuition fees based on grades, also motivates me.
I am also from Indonesia. Before enrolling, I studied Japanese at a Japanese language school in Kobe. I was attracted to the university because of the extensive support it offered to international students, including Japanese language study sessions, and what I heard at the open campus.
I also studied abroad in the United States during my university days. After that, I became a reporter for Kyodo News and lived abroad for a total of 19 years. After all, around the age of 20, language and experience are firmly ingrained in your body. So, I hope that you don't miss the chance to change yourself, and challenge yourself to study, interact with people, and study abroad.

There are a lot of international students on campus. Not only English, but many other languages besides Japanese can be heard here and there, and I have made friends with international students. It is an environment where you can converse in a foreign language on a daily basis and learn languages and international sensibilities.
When I was a second-year student, I studied abroad in Taiwan for four months. There were Korean students in the local dormitory, and when I mustered up the courage to talk to them, we became good friends. We kept in touch even after I returned to Japan, and it gave me the motivation to work harder at my language studies.
In my case, I was able to learn Japanese in Vietnam, but I have more opportunities to communicate in Japanese in Japan, so I feel I am improving faster. I am also learning English, which was not my forte.
I also studied English and Japanese at Kansai International University, and improved a lot in both. I am grateful for the professional guidance of my teachers. When I came to Japan, the biggest culture shock was "sorting garbage." In Indonesia, it is normal to throw garbage away without sorting it. Now I live in an apartment with a friend.
That friend is me (laughs). I'm interested in linguistics and I'm studying Japanese and English. At university, I've made a lot of Japanese and foreign friends, and by talking to them, my Japanese and English skills have improved. I had the impression that Japanese people don't talk much, but I met a lot of different friends at university and that impression was overturned!
Learning about the world is also learning about yourself. Exposure to foreign countries allows you to discover things about yourself and your country. For example, there are customs and expressions that are unique to Japan, and customs and expressions that are unique to Indonesia. On the other hand, there are also commonalities that make you feel that "people are never the same." Global studies means putting yourself in a global setting and making such discoveries. That's the best part, and what makes it so interesting.

When I came to Kobe, I noticed that there were a lot of buildings that didn't look Japanese, and it had a foreign atmosphere. I think that's why it's easy for foreigners to fit in here.
Kobe is also home to a mosque, a place of worship for Islam, which I visited for the first time in class. Seeing it in photos on social media and actually experiencing it for myself were very different in terms of impact and feeling.
Kobe also has a Jewish synagogue. The value of studying in Kobe is being able to experience the field. The global history accumulated in the city will definitely have an impact on those who study there, and I think it's really lucky to be able to study in a place like this. There are very few places in Japan where you can find an entrance to a new world right in the middle of the city.
Previously, a student from Bangladesh told me about a delicious restaurant, and Kobe has a lot of kebabs and halal food. I would like to explore those places little by little.
I made Filipino food in class, and it was delicious, so I became interested in it. The class was about cooking at a church and serving it to homeless people in a park. That's another reason why it left such an impression on me.
In my "Global Research" class, I study the issues foreigners face living in Japan, such as the difficulty of finding rental accommodation, harsh working conditions and low wages.
Every country has social issues, such as poverty and the environment. Compare these with your own country and find commonalities and differences. Learning about global issues also means learning about the social issues of that country.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
I would like to use what I learned at Kansai University of International Studies to support foreigners living in Japan.
I want to be an interpreter. My Vietnamese parents couldn't speak Japanese well, so I watched them struggle. From around the third year of junior high school, I helped them with paperwork and acted as an interpreter, and I felt rewarded when I received a lot of gratitude from my parents and their friends.
I think the demand will be high as the number of joint ventures between Japan and Vietnam will continue to increase.
I want to work in the education sector and create a place like a language school. I envision a place where people from different cultures can communicate while learning various languages, including English and Japanese. I feel that language broadens one's possibilities.
My goal is to work for a global company and solve international problems, and also to become a bridge between Japan and the world.
Right now, I'm considering going on to graduate school. After that, I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of becoming a researcher, or getting a job at a global company and working overseas.
I hope that Kansai International University will be a springboard for you to take a leap forward. Make the most of this wonderful learning environment and work towards what you want to be. As the saying goes, "Live & Learn," there are some things that you can only learn and acquire by experiencing them for yourself. We live in an age where information is overflowing. I hope that through your experiences, you will develop an unwavering "foundation of the heart."

Back to the Global Studies Special Site TOP

Cross talk

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At Kobe UniversityThe significance of learning

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