Hi! I’m Madoka Nakazawa, a third-year student at ICT.

　Can you feel summer ending in Japan? Here in New Zealand, it's a different season. Winter is ending, and spring is starting. When I walk around town, I see cherry blossoms and feel the warm wind. It is only September, but it already feels like spring. Therefore, I feel lucky to see this so early.

　This time, I want to write about something different. I was on the radio here in New Zealand. It started with a simple conversation. I told a friend that I wanted to try being on the radio one day. Somehow, the president of OJSA (Otago Japanese Students’ Association) heard about this. She told me that someone was looking for people to join a radio show. Therefore, I joined the show with my classmates Ayane and Kotori.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　It was my first time speaking on the radio in English, so I was nervous at first. I worried that I couldn't say what I wanted to say. However, Haruko-sensei helped us a lot before the show. My classmates were also with me, and this made me feel better. Therefore, during the show, I felt more relaxed than I expected, and I really enjoyed it.

　We talked for about one hour. We talked about the differences between New Zealand and Japan, and about places we visited since coming here. It was interesting to explain things I don't usually think about. I also learned new things about my own experience.

　Before I knew it, the recording was finished. I was worried before, but it turned out to be a really fun hour. I never thought I would be on the radio in New Zealand. Therefore, this was a very special experience for me. I want to thank the OJSA president and Haruko-sensei for this chance, and my classmates for doing this with me.

Madoka Nakazawa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, I am Takako Utsunomiya, the teacher overseeing the Ikebana club. At the Kanazawa Campus, where the 4th- and 5th-year students study, we offer an extracurricular Ikebana activity. The participating students receive instruction twice a month from Ms. Howa Minamikawa, a member of the Eighth Division of the Sogetsu School’s Ishikawa Branch. This year, four students—three from the 4th year and one from the 5th year—are taking part in the club.

As we begin our Ikebana activities for the second semester, I would like to reflect on what our 4th- and 5th-year students accomplished during the first semester and highlight their involvement in the club.

 

[May]
The fourth‑year students used the flower shears with surprising skill for beginners, and Ms. Minamikawa (Ikebana instructor) even complimented their work. Their faces were full of concentration as they planned their designs. The fifth‑year student quietly focused on his own arrangement while warmly welcoming the younger members.

[June]
One student quietly focused on her flowers, others asked the teacher for advice, and still another enjoyed lively conversation with classmates as she decided on her designs. There were many different paths to creating a piece, each one unique to the student.

[July ①]
The sunflower’s head was simply too heavy. Even so, driven by the desire to make it face upward, the student kept trying different ideas. Did you notice the toothpick quietly supporting it in the photo? That small touch speaks volumes about her dedication to the piece.

[July ②]
Ms. Minamikawa, our Ikebana instructor, is also a certified Urasenke tea ceremony teacher. She kindly arranged an opportunity for the 4th- and 5th-year students to experience the tea ceremony, and we were served higashi sweets from “Yoshihashi” in Higashiyama, Kanazawa.

[July ③]
Students’ Ikebana works are displayed in various locations, including the president’s office, the main entrance of the ICT, and the space beneath the staircase. Recently, the students have started to concentrate on their own display sites.

[October]
The 4th- and 5th-year students have been given the opportunity to participate in the Sogetsu 100th Anniversary Ikebana Exhibition, “Creating Together, Connecting to the Future,” and to showcase their work in the Mirai Corner.
(Our sincere thanks to everyone at the Sogetsu Ikebana Association, Ishikawa Branch.)
The exhibition will be held from October 10 (Sat.) to 12 (Mon.) at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Basement Level 1, People’s Gallery B. If you happen to be in the area, we would be delighted if you could stop by and take a look at the students’ work.
https://www.sogetsu.or.jp/events/local/816652/

Ikebana Club
Takako Utsunomiya

 Hello! This is Sade Moore a Learning Mentor at Hakusanroku Campus. I want to take this journal as an opportunity to talk about and hard launch the official International College of Technology House System!

 At Hakusanroku Campus for the past two and a half years, we have been utilizing a House System for the students who reside here. This House System was created as a way for the 1st year and 2nd year students to work together for a common goal and get rewarded for the good deeds and accomplishments that they do throughout the semester at Hakusanroku Campus by collecting House Points. The students are split between four Houses and each House is led by their Head of House, which is a Learning Mentor who oversees those students who are in their House. Students can earn various amounts of House Points by finishing and completing homework assignments and showing it to a Learning Mentor, cleaning up around Hakusanroku Campus, attending designated workshops that the Learning Mentors put on throughout the semester, volunteering for organization checks of their school materials with a Learning Mentor, or any good merit that a Learning Mentor may see a student exhibit. Students can also get demerits and lose points for any negative aspects of their behavior such as, being late to Learning Session, not attending their Roll Calls, not cleaning up after themselves and leaving their materials, possessions, and trash unattended around the campus, or any other negative demerits that a Learning Mentor may take notice that a student has done. Together, in their house, over the semester they have to work together to collect and earn (or lose) as many House Points as possible, in order to be the House with the most House Points at the end of the semester and thus winning the ICT House Cup. After each semester, the students will randomly be placed in a different House for the next semester.

 In the semesters past, the ICT House System utilized the four Houses from a well-known book and movie franchise. However, obviously this system couldn’t be used forever, and there was a need to make the House System more tailored to being an ICT House System. Therefore, at the end of the 2025 1st Semester, we surveyed the students and asked them to choose between a list of animals that are endogenous to Hakusaroku and live around Hakusanroku Campus such as, kamemushi, Asian black bear, frog, golden eagle, kamoshika, etc. The thought was, the 4 animals that the students liked the most would go towards being the animals that would be the symbols of the new ICT Houses. The four winning animals of this survey ended up being: fox, Japanese monkey(macaque), golden eagle, and the stoat. From there, I went to work and began to design the new House Crests.

 I wanted the design for the new Houses to be cohesive and also indicative of ICT and the House System that the students were already used to using beforehand. For the logo I wanted to create something that was similar to the logo used officially for ICT, but still unique and different, and although it took a lot of time, between the end of the 1st Semester of 2025 and the start of the new 1st Semester of 2026, the new House logos were finally completed and ready to be unveiled to the students, and now we can reveal them to everyone else!

The first House I will be introducing is Soragle

 

Name origin: Sora (sky)+ Eagle

Representative animal: Golden Eagle

Main Color: Blue

Secondary Color: Gold

Element: Water

Cardinal Direction: West

Defining Characteristics: Bravery and Innovation

Head of House: Krishia

 

Now to introduce, Monkage house

Name origin: Monkey + kage (shadow)

Representative animal: Japanese monkey (macaque)

Main Color: Green

Secondary Color: Silver

Element: Earth

Cardinal Direction: East

Defining Characteristics: Grit and Teamwork

Head of House: Domyson

 

 

The next House to be introduced is Vixtsune.

Name origin: Vix (short for vixen) + kitsune (fox)

Representative animal: Fox

Main Color: Red

Secondary Color: Black

Element: Fire

Cardinal Direction: North

Defining Characteristics: Cleverness and Curiosity

Head of House: Dianne

 

Last but not least, introducing Fuwapaw house.

Name origin: Fuwafuwa (fluffy) + paw

Representative animal: Japanese stoat

Main Color: Yellow

Secondary Color: White

Element: Light

Cardinal Direction: South

Defining Characteristics: Nobility and Resilience

Head of House: Sade

 

 

 

 With these four distinct Houses created it was the hope that our students could feel like this is actually their school’s own identity and is in fact a unique characteristic that they can feel proud of. Since implementing the House System at ICT, there has been a marked difference in the demeanor and character of our students. Even though they hate losing points for their Houses, it gives them a sense of responsibility and teamwork that they can strive for throughout the semester and the overall feedback from our ICT 1st and 2nd year students has been overwhelmingly positive for the House System. At the end of each semester, we give a survey to the students and ask them if they want to continue to utilize the ICT House System and we consistently get over a response of over 96% of the students wanting to continue the House System into the next semester.

 With the launching of the official ICT House System from the 1st Semester of 2026, the stakes are even higher for the students. The House that accumulated the most points by the end of the semester usually gets to choose between a special meal of their choice provided by the Learning Mentors at the end of the semester party each semester for all of their hard work. From this semester though, there is now an official House Cup Trophy that the winning House can win and write their names on the pennant ribbon which will be attached to the House Cup Trophy and displayed on the campus for everyone to see. It is our hope that all of the 1st year and 2nd year students continue to enjoy and get value out of the ICT House System in the future and through the ICT House System will become and remain productive, caring, and helpful students at ICT.

Sade Moore

 

　This is Apirak Sang-ngenchai, and I am currently a lecturer at ICT. As an alumnus of Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (RMUTL), Thailand. I feel fortunate to have witnessed and contributed to the development of the relationship between RMUTL and ICT.
　My journey began as a student at RMUTL, studying Technical Education in Electronic Engineering. I participated in the Learning Express (LeX) program with Kanazawa Technical College (KTC), which became ICT, Kanazawa. I learned Design Thinking and worked with Japanese students on community projects. This enhanced my problem-solving skills and introduced me to international collaboration.
　In 2017, I visited Japan through the Sakura Science Project at Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT), gaining exposure to Japanese educational practices, research, and innovation. It deepened my understanding of the friendship and cooperation between RMUTL, KIT, and ICT.
　These exchanges laid the foundation for stronger academic ties between our institutions. Over the years, faculty members, staff, and students from both sides continued to build mutual trust and understanding through educational activities, research discussions, and cultural programs. When I joined ICT in 2020, I was pleased to contribute to this longstanding relationship　from a new perspective as a faculty member.
　A significant milestone was achieved on September 15, 2026, when RMUTL and ICT officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). For me, this was more than just a formal agreement. It reflected years of collaboration, exchanges, and shared experiences between our institutions. I was honored to support this important event and to witness the beginning of the next chapter of our partnership.
　The MoU provides a framework for future cooperation in several important areas, including student exchanges, joint academic activities, collaborative research, and cultural and experiential learning programs. We hope to create more opportunities for students to study and learn from each other's cultures, while also encouraging faculty members to work together on educational and research initiatives.
　Looking ahead, I would like to see the partnership develop through activities such as short-term exchange programs, international project-based learning, Design Thinking workshops, collaborative research in engineering and technology, and cultural immersion programs for students from both countries. These activities will not only strengthen academic cooperation but also help students develop global perspectives and lifelong international friendships.
　As someone who has benefited greatly from the relationship between RMUTL, KIT, and ICT, I am proud to have been part of this journey. I sincerely hope that the MoU signed this year will serve as a foundation for many new opportunities and meaningful collaborations in the future, bringing lasting benefits to students, faculty members, and both institutions for years to come.

Apirak Sang-ngenchai

 

Hello. My name is Michihiro Hayashi, advisor of the Design & Fabrication Club.

On September 12 and 13, we participated in the 31st J-FACE Annual Conference of the Japanese Academy of Facial Studies, “Forum KAOGAKU 2026,” held at Kanazawa Institute of Technology.

The forum featured a wide variety of research and exhibits related to the human face. Topics included makeup, facial impressions, facial recognition, the faces of robots and animals, and portrait illustration. The conference included 29 oral presentations, 25 poster presentations, six demonstrations, and five corporate exhibits, with a total of 175 participants from across Japan.

From ICT, fourth-year student Rinse Okiyama gave a poster presentation on gaze perception and the Mona Lisa effect. The title of the presentation was “Facial Image Synthesis Inducing the Offset Mona Lisa Effect (oMLE) from Stereoscopic Photographic Images.”

To briefly explain the research, when we look at a person in a photograph or painting from different angles, we may sometimes feel as though the person’s eyes continue to look directly at us. This phenomenon is commonly known as the “Mona Lisa effect.” In this study, differences between images that produce the Mona Lisa effect and those that do not were experimentally examined by processing photographs of real people.

During the summer vacation, Rinse Okiyama worked intensively on preparing for the presentation. She served as the model for the images and took part in repeated photo sessions over several days, as well as image evaluation experiments.

She presented the results in a poster session at the conference. Many participants came to hear about the research, and lively discussions took place in front of the poster. In everyday research activities, students mainly have opportunities to discuss their work with their supervising teachers. At the conference, however, Rinse Okiyama was able to exchange ideas with faculty members from other universities, researchers from companies, illustrators, and many other people with different perspectives.

At the closing ceremony, Rinse Okiyama received the “Suganuma Award,” named after a former president of the Japanese Academy of Facial Studies.

She also had the opportunity to have her portrait drawn by an illustrator at the venue.

This year’s conference was held locally, but I hope that in the future she will continue to take on new challenges and actively present her research not only throughout Japan, but also internationally.

Design & Fabrication Club
Advisor: Michihiro Hayashi