In Japan, the spring semester ends around the end of July and the fall semester begins around the end of September. This means that university students generally have two months as summer break. We asked some existing students to describe what they did last summer and what they are going to do this summer.

Tuvshin Delgerekh (4th-year, College of Policy Science, Mongolian)
I participated in various activities, seminars, and events during summer breaks, such as the INU Student Seminar on Global Citizenship and Peace in Hiroshima, and the Fukushima study tour organized by the University. For fun, I traveled around Japan and visited other Asian countries where my classmates come from. This summer break before I graduate, I am going to travel with my classmates and go on a research trip to my country.

Juliane Barakat (4th-year, College of International Relations, Egyptian)
I traveled around Japan with my 20 classmates during the summer break in my first year; it was really fun. I visited Indonesia last summer to participate in a student conference, and this year I am going to be involved in volunteer activities in Japan.

Lin Tzu Cheng (2nd-year, College of International Relations, Taiwanese)
I went back to my country to get a driver’s license last summer. This summer, I am planning to participate in the International Peace Exchange Seminar in South Korea and also prepare for the TOEFL exam.

Robin Rauner (2nd-year, College of International Relations, American)
This summer, I will travel around Europe with my sister before returning home!

Aditi Daeyi (2nd-year, College of Policy Science, Indian)
Last summer, I went back to my country to spend the vacation with my parents. As it was the first time I went back, I mostly stayed home and spent time with my family. During my stay, I attended a few Delhi University college festivals as it was the time for college cultural activities. Also, I am a member of the University’s International Student Ambassador (ISA) student group. As a member of ISA, I participated in some school visits organized by the University for recruiting activities and a brief orientation for the students who entered Ritsumeikan last September. For the upcoming summer vacation, I plan on going back to India again. As a student entering the 3rd-year, I’d also like to make a start with some literature research on my topic to be prepared for the coursework next semester.

Yoshie Sasagawa (2nd-year, College of Policy Science, Malaysian)
I will be extremely busy this summer. First I will go back to Malaysia and participate in volunteer activities for the WWF, then I will practice the guitar and work out in the gym. After coming back to Japan in September, I am going to do a one-week internship at Education First (EF). It will be extremely busy, but I will be enjoying this summer!

Sneha Arora (2nd-year, College of Policy Science, Indian)
Last summer I went back to my country and traveled a lot with my friends by car. This summer I will go back to India to do an internship for three weeks in Delhi. I am really looking forward to it!

Christine Elizabeth Murphy (1st-year, College of Policy Science, American)
I will travel to Indonesia for a school project, followed by the U.S.A. and Switzerland to visit family. I will study Japanese as well.

Tanya Ghai (1st-year, College of Policy Science, Indian)
I am going back to my home country for the summer holidays. This semester in Japan has been tough, but enjoyable, and I am looking forward to going back to India. I will miss Japan, and its sushi too! Can’t wait to start the new semester with new goals!

Yang Mingyu (1st-year, College of International Relations, Chinese)
After graduating from high school last summer, I went on vacation to Taiwan for two weeks, spent two weeks in Malaysia doing volunteer work there, and got my driver’s license in my own country. This summer, I am planning to go to Thailand with my friends for a vacation and to do an internship in China; it will be a pretty busy summer break!