Hi, I am Michihiro Hayashi, the advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club.
On Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, 2024, I took a business trip with the participating students to the Tokai-Hokuriku Regional ROBOCON 2024 held in Numazu City. Numazu City is located in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture and is the furthest regional competition site from ICT. The students and their faculty advisors traveled there by chartered bus. The one-way trip was about 8 hours long. The students bought a lots of snacks and fast food at the rest area and ate them on the bus. Perhaps the souvenir shops on the highway were a rarity to them, especially since there are few stores around the Hakusanroku Campus.

The theme of this year's ROBOCON is “Return of the Robots,” and the rules call for a robot to launch an another robot, retrieve objects, and return. When the robot is launched, it inevitably receives a shock when it lands, which can cause the robot to break or malfunction, so a mechanism to absorb the shock is necessary. Also, when the robot returns after retrieving an object, some obstacles must be jumped over, so each team needs to be creative in their robot design.

Two teams from our school participated: Team A from Kanazawa Campus, “ХАЙРТАЙ ШҮҮ 3k”, and Team B from Hakusanroku Campus “Tobihoudai”. The captain of Team A was Sansar Sergelen, a 4th year student from Mongolia. Therefore, the team’s name is in Mongolian. If you are interested in the name of Team A, please look up the meaning and pronunciation.

Team A's robot was designed with airbags for shock absorption and an arm that extends like a crane when returning. With only three members, various tasks took time, and they couldn't fully adjust the robot by the final date. On the day of the competition, they continued making adjustments at the venue but unfortunately couldn't demonstrate the soft landing with the airbags. As a result, they lost both matches in the preliminary league. However, despite the small team, their innovative efforts were recognized, and they received the "DENSO Special Award."

Team B's robot was constructed so that it could continue to operate even if it was upside down on landing. They also built a robot that uses a rotating roller like a pitching machine to retrieve objects. The members gathered after school until just before the competition to continue adjusting the robot. However, they struggled to reduce the weight of the robot and were forced to bring the improved parts to the venue by bus. As a result, the robot was able to successfully pass the weighing and measuring inspection for the competition. In the competition, the students showed off how they flew and landed their robots and achieved one win and one loss in the preliminary league. The efforts of the younger students were also recognized, and they received the “Mabuchi Motor Special Award.”

Although neither team was able to advance to the final tournament or be nominated for the national tournament, I believe that they were able to fully demonstrate the results of their activities. Some students may have felt that they “failed” or “felt frustrated,” but I hope that these feelings will become rich nourishment for their future.

Michihiro Hayashi

 Hello, this is Arihiro Kodaka, Dean of Student Affairs. This time, I would like to write about the details of the students' participation in community planning and management

 On Monday, September 23rd, 2024 (Autumnal Equinox Day), a marking event for the Asagimadara (*) (Chestnut Tiger Butterfly) was held in the field across from Hakusanroku Campus.

(*) The Asagimadara is a butterfly named for its wings, which are light blue with mottled patterns. It is a butterfly that migrates several thousand kilometers across the ocean. In order to track their migration patterns, the less powdery light blue parts of their wings are marked with the date and capture location using a permanent marker. The Asagimadara are attracted to flowers in the Asteraceae family, such as the Fujibakama flower (boneset) and the toxins in the nectar help them with reproduction and protection. Additionally, one of the characters in the anime Demon Slayer is inspired by this butterfly.

For information on last year’s Asagimadara marking event.

 2nd year students supported an event organized by the Tatsunokuchi Community Development Council, Hakusanroku Satoyama Revitalization Council, and the Asagimadara Fan Club. In a fallow field across from Hakusanroku Campus, fujibakama flowers are cultivated to attract the Asagimadara. In the Engineering Design class, the Agribusiness team of students started planning in April of this year, aiming to utilize Asagimadara as an environmental resource to boost the local community. Through creative ideas and a fresh, student-oriented perspective, they tackled the challenge of revitalizing the area.

 The students aimed to create continuous interactions between local residents and non-residents through the event, ensuring that everyone involved would have lasting memories. They put great effort into the planning and organization, incorporating many thoughtful details to achieve this goal.

Photo Spot

 A photo spot created by students was set up for everyone who came to see the Asagimadara, and many people took pictures there. I was happy to see visitors taking memorable photos at the photo spot, and I believe that we were able to respond to their desire to preserve their memories.

Making Goods with Elementary School Students

 Elementary school students who participated in the marking event spent the afternoon making original goods under the guidance of ICT 2nd year students. The goods were hair clips and magnets with Asagimadara images, and the elementary school students added decorations and finishing touches by devising color schemes and decorations.

 

Merchandise Sales and Hands-on Crafting Experience Activities.

 For those who stopped by the Sena Roadside Station, learned about this event, and observed Asagimadara, students sold a capsule toy key chain with an illustrated book describing the ecology of the Asagimadara. Additionally, a hands-on workshop was held where participants could use a laser utter to create their own keychains as a keepsake. These activities were part of a unique initiative by ICT students.

 The students thought about how local residents and the visitors could be involved in the project and implemented it. Afterwards, the students reflected on the event and voiced many opinions about how to make the next event even more fulfilling. The students who will take over in the next year are expected to take this feedback into account and make the event better.

 This year, perhaps due to the hot weather, the number of Asagimadara was very small, but I hope that next year many more Asagimadara will visit.

Hello, I am Ian Stevenson, an English teacher here at Hakusanroku Campus.
 On Thursday, October 24th, 2024, in what has become an annual tradition at ICT, students made jack-o'-lantern. This year, because of weather and monkeys, I was not able to grow any pumpkins in my garden. All the jack-o'-lanterns this year are made from paper mache. 

If you’re interested in making paper mache see the link below for the recipe.
Hakusanroku Journal: November 19, 2022 Making Jack-o’-lantern

 1st year students Kotori Mae, Madoka Nakazawa, Ayane Ito and Takeshi Murayama, as well as Learning Mentor Sade Moore sensei, all made jack-o'-lanterns, put lights in the jack-o'-lanterns’ mouths and hung them so they could look across the road at Sena Roadside Station. Madoka cut a fanged and star eyed monster from her paper mache pumpkin, Sade sensei made a Cinnamoroll Roll jack-o-lantern, Kotori’s jack-o'-lantern had green hair, Ayane created an original pumpkin character called “Kabo Kabo” and Takeshi turned his paper mache pumpkin into a bat. 

 

Hello, I am Ryona Natsuki, a 3rd year student of ICT. I am currently studying at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, New Zealand. This study abroad program is for 3rd year students of our school, and students live in NZ for a year in a homestay. This time, I would like to talk about my homestay life, the daily events, and my tragedy in NZ.

First, I want to talk about “my homestay life in NZ”. My homestay is located about 40 minutes by car from the school. When I leave school, I take the bus, and I have to change buses. There are not many buses available, so I rarely go anywhere with my friends in the evening. However, because of this, I am able to take evening walks to the sea and spend time with my host family. My host family is like my real parents, and they are strict with me when I don't meet their standards, which allows me to continue living a fulfilling life. I am very grateful to my host family for providing me with healthy and delicious food in a lovely house.

Next, I will talk about “how I spend my time after school”. I have always loved volleyball and used to play with my friends at the Hakusanroku Campus. In NZ, there is a gymnasium located a five-minute walk from the campus where we play volleyball almost every day after school. Japanese anime, “Haikyu‼”, is the reason why many overseas students started playing volleyball. Because I love the anime myself, we get along well, and I have made quite a few friends through volleyball now. I also have friends who are studying Japanese because they want to live in Japan, and I sometimes teach them Japanese, which leads to mutual cultural exchange and an enjoyable time. Furthermore, my friends sometimes invite me to volleyball tournaments and club activities, so I have been able to interact with many people through volleyball, which is very fulfilling.

Finally, I want to talk about “the biggest tragedy of studying abroad”. I have made this mistake myself and there is nothing I can do about it. However, please read on as it is something that is often overlooked when studying abroad, and you will really regret it. There is limited insurance coverage for studying in NZ. In this situation, I am suffering from tooth decay. Cavities are not covered by insurance while studying here, and the cost of treatment is really high without insurance. Before I came to NZ, I did not have a dental check-up and enjoyed my last Japanese meal. Even though I brush my teeth daily, all my previous cavities were released at once when I arrived in NZ, and the tragedy began in May. My teeth hurt, and I had to go to the dentist where my host family advised me to have an examination. By doing so, I had to pay $275 (about ￥25,000) for a single tooth. I brushed my teeth within 5 minutes of every meal to avoid cavities so that I would never have to spend this extra money again. However, this was only the beginning. Before coming to NZ, I didn't take good care of my teeth, which led to more cavities and cost me around $3,000 (about ￥270,000) in dental treatment. I felt stupid and depressed about what I was doing. I want to make sure that this does not happen to anyone who reads this. Also, I will ensure that this does not happen to me again.

I hope to create more great memories by sharing experiences with my host family and friends during the rest of my stay until March of next year.

Ryona Natsuki

Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku office. It is now November and the mornings and evenings at the Hakusanroku Campus have become quite chilly, making me feel that winter is coming. Today, I would like to write about the Kutani Ware Overglaze Painting Experience and the Flower Arrangement and Kado Class held in September.

【Kutani Ware Overglaze Painting Experience】　

 On Thursday, September 12th, 2024, Arihiro Kodaka sensei oversaw the Kutani Ware Overglaze Painting Experience. Two instructors from the Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Ware Technical Institute led this activity.
 First, the instructors explained the characteristics of Kutani ware, how to hold the brush, and the types of colors used.
 Then, the students transferred their pre-prepared designs onto square plates, sketching them in pencil. The designs they prepared were inspired by Japanese themes, such as sea creatures, Mt. Fuji, koi fish, and the kotoji stone lantern at Kenrokuen Garden. This design was tasteful and evocative of the season.
 The painting style used in this session is "Gosaide," a traditional style in Kutani ware. After the initial sketching in pencil, students outlined their designs in a black pigment called “Gosu” and then applied five Japanese pigments (yellow, blue (green), dark blue, purple (brown), and red) to add color. Though initially nervous about outlining and applying these colors, the students gradually gained confidence and worked with increasing enjoyment.
 Once the painting was completed, the pieces were sent for firing, and about a month later, the finished plates were delivered to the students. The plates were amazing. The transformation, with the colors becoming richer and deeper, resulted in beautifully crafted Kutani ware unique to this traditional style.

【Flower Arrangement and Kado Class】

 On Friday, September 13th, the Flower Arrangement and Kado class was held. Kazumi Minamikawa sensei (instructor) led the Flower Arrangement course.
 First, students arranged flowers using roses, chrysanthemums, chili peppers, and leatherleaf ferns. After learning from Minamikawa sensei how to cut the stems and keep the flowers in water, the students placed their flowers on a special sponge to shape their arrangements. Adding chili peppers at various angles, each student created a unique piece in their own style.
 Next after being divided into two groups, students tried their hands at flower arrangement using a flower frog and a water basin to create a full-scale flower arrangement with sunflowers, foxtail millets, St. John’s worts alstro emeria, Japanese fantail willows, and peruvian lilies. Using Minamikawa sensei’s model as a guide, the students created a beautiful display by making holes in straight leaves, bending them around to create curves, and scattering flowers on the surface of the water while bringing out the individuality of the flowers and leaves.
The students' works were displayed at the entrance of the Hakusanroku campus and in common areas, creating a gorgeous atmosphere on campus.

 

間加田 侑里