On 24th May we made a trip to International University of Japan for ASEAN Japan Night 2008 at the IUJ gymnasium. The event attracted about 1,000 people from the local community, and they enjoyed cuisines and stage performances by students from 9 ASEAN countries and Japan.

With help from students of other countries, ASEAN and Japanese students put up shows to introduce their cultures in the form of dances, songs, skits, etc. which fascinated the audience.

It was also a very first time to travel with Shinkansen so called bullet train. It took us about 1 hour from JR Omiya station to Urasa station(Minamiuonuma).

We also manage to have a campus tour plus city tour on the day. IUJ Located in Minamiuonuma city. Minamiuonuma city is situated in a valley in a mountainous region of Niigata Prefecture known as “Snow Country” because of the heavy snowfall in winter. The city is bounded by Uonuma city and the Echigo-Sanzan mountains in the north, and Yuzawa, a popular ski resort town, in the south. The Uono river flows through most of the city. The city and its surrounding areas are dotted with many onsen (Japanese hot springs) and 8 ski resorts, making it a popular destination in winter. There are also a large number of paddy fields, as this is a major rice-growing region in Japan.