The University of Debrecen has offered programmes for those interested in Japanese language and culture for about 20 years. Currently, the course is led by Sato Aya, who has held facultative language classes for 10 years.
– I am happy to see that there is a growing interest in Japan among students at all the 14 faculties, and it is a pleasure that I can help the 50-60 students attending our course this semester to learn Japanese – Sato Aya told unideb.hu. Even though the Japanese teacher visits her home country on a yearly basis, she already feels home in Hungary. – It feels good to meet my fellow Japanese and help them get more familiar with my second home country – added Sato Aya.
The Josai International University has offered a programme to Japanese students wishing to study Hungarian language and cultural history for 10 years.
– Most Japanese students know hardly anything about Hungary, which is a rather remote country for them, and Osaka State University is the only one in Japan to have a department of Hungarian studies – said Attila Király orientalist, who graduated in Japanese studies and has worked at JIU since 2009. JIU also finds it important to teach about European culture at a private university.
The group of students who had never been to Hungary before arrived in Budapest a week ago and was welcomed by the Japan Foundation. Since their arrival, they have explored Budapest, taken trips to Visegrád and Szentendre, and visited several universities where students can learn Japanese. On Friday they met students of UD who study Japanese, and together they attended a playful session performed in the Japanese language. Thanks to Csaba Mészáros, lecturer of the Summer University, they could also learn about the town and the region.
Before the group returns home, they will visit the Hortobágy on Saturday.
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