Ritsumeikan Global Week: A Cross-Cultural Festival Connecting the World  

 

November 2, we held the community exchange event “Ritsumeikan Global Week” at the Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC). 

 

Since its opening, OIC has held regional exchange events to realize our educational concepts of Urban co-creation, Regional/Social Collaboration, and Gateway to Asia. This year's event was held with the aim of connecting the university and the local community, while keeping in mind the objectives of international exchange and intercultural understanding. 

 

Blessed with fine weather, the event featured around 50 booths and 10 performances, attracting approximately 4,500 visitors from the local community. 

In addition to participation by student groups like PMSG (Peer Mentor Support Group) from the CRPS Program in the College of Policy Science and natuRable, which focuses on international exchange activities, we invited staff from Adventure World in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture. Their talk, which featured footage of penguins in the wild and highlighted the mysteries and charms of these animals, drew an enthusiastic crowd. 

In terms of showcasing the university's research outcomes, exhibits included the Cultural Psychology Experience, VR Disaster Prevention and Evacuation Experience, Nepal x Children's Rights Cafe, Family VR Experience, Activation Sheet, and MOT x BrainUX. At the booth to support disaster-stricken areas, we solicited donations and sold products to help provide relief to disaster victims. 

As part of its report on the World Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, Ooki Ni, the World Expo Student Committee made up of Ritsumeikan students, ran booths focusing on topics including environmental issues, food loss, foreign cultures, and communication, and they held a festival experience and various other events around the campus. 

As part of the outdoor events, once again this year, students painstakingly grilled freshly caught Pacific saury landed in Sakaricho, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, and PMSG served up Asian food and food trucks served dishes and sweets from around the world, including Mexican, Turkish, and Korean cuisine. In Sora-no Plaza, the Ritsumeikan University Cheering Squad, Color Guard ‘LUSTER’, hula dance ‘Hawaiian Circle meahula’, a cappella ‘Empire Cast’, cheerleading dance team ‘BLENDERS’, K-POP dance team’Rogue’ gave an international themed.

Later, at the Grand Hall stage of Ritsumeikan Ibaraki Future Plaza, a special concert by the Ritsumeikan University Symphony Orchestra was held, received a round of roaring applause from the audience. 

 

Aiming to make OIC a “campus that loves the community and is loved by the community,” Ritsumeikan will keep pursuing regional cooperation activities with the continued support of the members of the local community.