King Saud University
YONEDA Akihisa

“Outside of class, there are no opportunities to use Japanese.”

This is a comment I often hear from students at King Saud University. There are approximately 1,300 Japanese people living in Saudi Arabia, but students have no opportunities to meet Japanese people outside of university. The reason for this is that most Japanese people live in residential areas designated for foreigners, and have few chances to interact directly with Saudi society. Although these days it would be easy to interact with Japanese people online, whether it is cultural thing or not I am not sure, but my feeling is that students are not so keen on engaging in online exchange and interactions. It was based on this situation that I thought it would be good if I could invite Japanese guests to the university, or arrange for exchange opportunities with Japanese people outside the university.

During this fiscal year, a teacher at the Japanese school, an embassy official and a chef from a Japanese restaurant have all come to the university, and spoken about the similarities and differences between Japan and Saudi Arabia, talking also about their jobs and their own various life experiences. In one talk the word “motetai” (want to be popular) came up frequently. As the word “moteru” (be popular) does not appear in textbooks, I was worried whether the students would understand, but thanks to the talk being so engaging, and the fact that “motetai” was such a keyword in the talk, I think that they all naturally understood what was being talked about.

Inviting Japanese guests to university

Next and in appreciation to those who had come to the university, we held an exchange party, inviting Japanese guests. In Saudi Arabia, there are places called Istiraha, which are like holiday villas or chalets, and a local custom is for families and friends to spend time together at these Istiraha. I asked the students to plan the exchange party, make the arrangements for the Istiraha and prepare the food. It was a fresh new experience to see how the students approached this work, which is something I don’t get to see at university. The students first presented the guests with dates, Arabic coffee or tea and were all naturals at providing hospitality. It was a wonderful exchange party, with the group spending time doing various things, from playing football, volleyball, table tennis, and go, to playing music and games, and chatting, as well as enjoying a meal together. For the Japanese participants it provided an opportunity to experience the Saudi Arabian culture of hospitality. The Japanese guests all had a great time, saying, “It was the first time to have such an experience and it was really fun.” As a result of this party, some students were subsequently invited to the homes of Japanese residents.

Playing volleyball at the Istiraha

Until now, as the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Specialist, my thoughts have always focused on how to approach Japanese-language learners in Saudi Arabia. In the process of creating many exchange and interaction opportunities between students and Japanese people, I have come to feel that it is important to not only create opportunities for the students, but also to let Japanese people in Saudi Arabia know that there are students studying Japanese and that there are many Saudis who are interested in Japanese language and culture. I get a real sense that sharing information with Japanese people helps to create new interactions, which also creates good outcomes for Japanese-language learners. I have realized that an important part of the work of a Japanese-Language Specialist is not just to tend to the needs of Japanese-language learners, but also approach the Japanese community.