Sacramento State University(CSUS) and Ehime University have a long history of exchanges and Matsuyama and Sacramento are sister cities. Many were thus very much delighted to finally be able to receive a group of 12 students for a short exchange again January 2024. The students and their supervisor of Jeffrey Dym (Professor of Asian History at CSUS) were welcomed by a group of volunteers from Ehime University and Adriana Hidding (assistant professor IIR).
Orientation was held on the first day of the program, and on the second day, with a visit to Imabari Oshima the group learned more about the Seto Inland Sea its history and the pilgrimage route on the island.
Other topics that were studied with lectures and on-site visits were: Regional Revitalization; Traditional industries and crafts; The Shikoku Pilgrimage; and the high poetic needs of Matsuyama. The last one involved having Japanese volunteers and international students give a try at translating in groups works by Yosano Akiko, Taneda Santoka, Masaoka Shiki, Niikuni Seiichi and Tanigawa Shuntaro, without the usage of translation devices.
On the final day of the week long program students walked a part of the Shikoku Pilgrimage from Kume station to Ishite Temple. Students were happily surprised by the generosity of local people and the presence of the Matsuyama Sacramento Sister City Corp.
The Students of Sacramento really enjoyed places in Ehime such as Matsuyama Castle and Uchiko. According to their supervisor, most off all they enjoyed the company of Ehime University students such as in doing a Tea Ceremony together, having a Japanese Food Party, and enduring a short but rough poetic struggle.
We hope to see many more exchanges with Sacramento in the future.
＜Institute for International Relations＞