On Saturday, November 30, 2024, the “Ohmishima Bus Tour with International Students from Three Ehime Universities” was held. This tour is one of the projects of the University Consortium Ehime International Exchange Support Subcommittee, and its purpose is to help foreign students gain a deeper understanding of Ehime and to invigorate exchange among foreign students in the prefecture. On the day of the tour, 37 international students from Ehime University, Matsuyama University, and St. Catherine’s University participated, hailing from the United States, Armenia, Indonesia, Eswatini, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Germany, Nigeria, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Belgium, Laos, and Romania.
First, the international students visited a direct sales place for agricultural products at Saikito-ya in Imabari City, and observed with great interest the prepared foods, cakes, breads, and other items made with locally produced ingredients. After the tour, they enjoyed lunch at the cafeteria and cafe.
Next, we moved to Oyamazumi Shrine, where we learned about the history of the shrine and the manners of worship. The shrine’s sacred tree, which is more than 2,600 years old, was placed in front of them, and they were able to feel the solemn atmosphere of the shrine. Some of the foreign students brought their own red seal book, and others were so interested in the shrine that they purchased a red seal book.
The students then went to the Hakata no Shio “Omishima Plant” to observe the salt manufacturing process. One of the foreign students who saw the piles of salt collected in a room for natural drying said, “I have never seen so many pieces of salt at once. It is so beautiful, like a mountain of pure white snow. It reminded me of snow in my home country.
Finally, at the Kurushima Kaikyo Service Area, we all enjoyed the view of the Seto Inland Sea and took a commemorative photo together. After the photo shoot, each of us continued to take pictures at our favorite places and made video calls with family members in our home countries. At the store, they purchased souvenirs for family and friends in their home countries, and enjoyed the tour to the fullest, buying mandarin oranges as gifts for themselves.
This tour provided an opportunity to deepen exchanges among international students and to rediscover the charms of Ehime Prefecture.
＜International Relations Office＞