Every fall, five students from Fresno State are chosen to go to Tokiwa University in Mito, Japan through the Study Abroad and International Exchange program.

Tomoko Kozasa, professor of Japanese and linguistics said the program is one of the hidden gems of the Fresno State exchange programs.

“For the students on this campus, the best advantage is that most of the expenses are paid by Tokiwa University,” Kozasa said. “In other words they take care of airfare and accommodations.”

Since the program is a work-study, students are required to do some simple jobs.

“You are required to do some work such as teaching English to Japanese students or some community work such as going to an elementary school and introducing the American culture and campus life to younger students,” Kozasa said.

Students also receive small earnings every month for the work they perform.
“This way the students are able to study without a big burden on their finances,” Kozasa said.

The program allows students to gain experience by teaching English to students at the university. While in Japan, students will participate in community services that allows them to meet Japanese locals and practice Japanese speaking skills.

For the past few semesters very few students have applied.

The program has a few requirements for a student to be eligible; two Japanese language courses, a Japanese culture course and two letters of recommendation.

Nu Vang, a 20-year-old student who was a part of the exchange program last year, gained a lot of valuable experience on the trip and made a few new friends.

“Overall it’s a really good program,” Vang said. “I recommend it to anyone who is studying Japanese or wants to teach English.”

Noriko Ushimaru, another student who traveled to Japan last fall, said the time in Japan was life changing.

Dr. John Dussich, a professor of criminology, developed the program in 2004.

“Thanks to Dr. Dussich there is a strong bridge, a bond between Tokiwa University and Fresno State,” Kozasa said.

The Tokiwa Exchange program is one of two programs that sends students from Fresno to Japan each year. The other is to our sister city in Kochi.

“One student is invited a year to one of the national universities in Kochi, but the Tokiwa program provides opportunities to those who are just taking beginning Japanese courses,” Kozasa said. “To get into Kochi, it takes a little more proficiency in Japanese.”

While at Tokiwa, students are required to take more than language classes.

“I also took Japanese pop culture, politics and government and a Japanese multimedia class,” Vang said.

All of the courses at Tokiwa University are taught in English for the exchange students.

“If you think Fresno State campus is small, the campus there is even smaller,” Vang said. “It takes about three minutes to get to one side from the other.”

The university in Mito is a great place for students to get around in their free time.

“It’s about two hours northeast of Tokyo,” Kozasa said. “But the public transportation system is excellent in Japan. If students wanted to go to Kyoto or Tokyo or other places, it’s very easy to do so.”

While in Japan, the students have a variety of activities available to them including shopping, karaoke and visiting shrines and monuments.

“You learn a lot about yourself,” Vang said. “Such as why we do the things we do, and why we are so blunt or so open about our opinions. It just brings you back into focus and it brings you back into the differences of each culture and why they exist.”