Hello! My name is Yuka Yano and I am a 1st year student at International College of Technology, Kanazawa. In this article, I will write about the time when six American students came to our Hakusanroku campus.

On the first day, we were nervously waiting for the American students to arrive. What will they be like? Would we be able to become friends? Whilst we were nervous, the excitement was winning. Once we met them, we were surprised by how tall they were. However, we were soon able to become friends with them. From the first day, we introduced ourselves in our unit and talked a lot about our interests.

During the Kanazawa tour, we were able to visit various tourist spots and experienced a vast array of things. Since I had never gone around Kanazawa, I was learning about the city with the American students at the same time. Though this experience, we were able to make bonds with the Americans.

I especially remember the time when we played UNO. We made groups with many people and everyone was hyped up during the game. In the end, everyone was laughing until their throats hurt. I think worldwide games such as UNO can create connections between people.

Throughout this experience, I was able to learn various things and create friendships with the American students. Next time I hope to be able to explain the aspects of Kanazawa to the American students with more detail.

Yuka Yano

Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the office. On Saturday, June 20th, 2026, Sports Festival for1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th grade students was held at Kanazawa Campus.

The event featured four activities: volleyball, dodgeball, an obstacle race, and tug-of-war. Students were divided into six mixed teams composed of members from different grade levels, and each team competed in all events in a rotation format. Throughout the day, 1st and 2nd year students were seen encouraging and communicating with their 4th and 5th senior students. They do not usually do this since the 1st and 2nd year students study at the Hakusanroku Campus while the 4th and 5th year students study at the Kanazawa Campus. This created a strong sense of unity across the venue. All competitions were highly engaging and intense, filled with the excitement of serious matches and loud cheers from participants and spectators alike. While students experienced both victories and defeats, what stood out most was how they praised and supported one another. 

After the competitions finished, one MVP was selected from each team and awarded a selection of snacks. In addition, all participating teams received snacks as participation prizes.

This Sports Festival provided a valuable opportunity for students to step away from their daily academic routines and experience the joy of teamwork and a sense of achievement. Through the mixed-grade team activities, students from both campuses were able to deepen their connections, making the day a lively and memorable one.

Opening Ceremony

Volleyball

Dodgeball

Obstacle Relay

Tug of War

Closing Ceremony and Awards presentation

Yuri Makada

Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku office. From Saturday, June 6th to Wednesday, June 17th, 2026, six high school students from Columbia, Missouri, USA visited the Hakusanroku Campus. They stayed at the Hakusanroku Campus dormitory and experienced school life together with 1st and 2nd year ICT students.

During their stay, the students from Columbia took part in various programs, including hands-on manufacturing activities and classes alongside ICT students. They also went on a sightseeing excursion in Kanazawa and took part in a homestay program in Hakusan City organized by the local government.
In addition, on Saturday, June 6th, an event titled “Sister City Exchange Program with Columbia, USA – Let’s Interact with American High School Students!” was held at the Hakusanroku Campus. It was organized by the Hakusan International Exchange Association. Elementary and junior high school students from Hakusan City, as well as ICT students, took part. After the visiting American students gave a presentation about Columbia, event participants enjoyed interacting with them in English through quizzes, games, and a campus tour.

For the ICT and American students, even within this relatively short two-week period, living together in the dormitory provided valuable opportunities to learn and build friendships. This made it an irreplaceable and meaningful experience.

American students arrive at the Hakusanroku Campus

Kanazawa sightseeing

Hands-on manufacturing activities and classes alongside ICT students

Sister City Exchange Program with Columbia, USA – Let’s Interact with American High School Students!

Farewell party

Yuri Makada

Hello! I’m Kaishu Ishiharada, a 3rd-year student. It’s already been over a month since I arrived in New Zealand. During the past month, I’ve experienced so many things that I could never experience in Japan. I want to share as many as possible with you. I hope you enjoy reading!

Driving with My Host Family

My host family is big, including a host father, host mother, host sister, host brother, a dog, and a cat. Everyone is so kind, and every day I feel very lucky to stay with them.

On the morning of my second day here, I went to the beach with my host mother, host brother, and our dog. I’ve never had a pet before, so this was the first time in my life walking a dog. The view from the beach was much more beautiful than I expected, and it already made me feel that coming to New Zealand was worth it. I heard there are other beaches in Dunedin, and people go swimming there in the summer. Although it’s starting to get colder now, I’m already looking forward to summertime!

Camping

Thanks to an invitation from Ikki Hashimoto’s host family, my host family and his went camping together. We tried some unique activities there, like ziplining and rappelling down a cliff using ropes. My host sister and his host sister really got into ziplining, so I went along with them. After that, I enjoyed playing soccer on the grass with my host brother. After dinner, all the kids, including Ikki and me, played hide-and-seek around the campsite. Ikki and I hid together, managed not to be found, and won the game! Maybe our experience playing hide-and-seek back at the Hakusanroku campus helped us win.

Once the host sisters were in bed, Ikki and I looked up at the stars outside. The starry sky was incredibly beautiful. In the night sky of New Zealand, you can see the Southern Cross, which can only be seen from the very southern parts of Japan, like Ishigaki Island.

 

Exploring the City

Dunedin, the city we are staying in, has a population of about 120,000, which is roughly the same as Hakusan City in Ishikawa Prefecture. The downtown area spreads out around a central place called the Octagon. I explore the city every weekend.

The other day, I visited the world’s steepest street “Baldwin Street”, which is located a little outside the city center. Before going, I thought, “It’s probably not that big of a deal,” or “The hill near my house is steeper.” But once I arrived, I realized it truly deserves its title—it was incredibly steep (my apologies!).

Shuntaro, Soma, and I decided to run to the top. As we started running, the tourists around us cheered us on, shouting “Come on!” It really made me feel, “Wow, I’m abroad!” However, since it is the world’s steepest street, my legs gave out halfway up. I want to become fit enough to run all the way to the top before I return to Japan.

I hope you all enjoyed this journal! Look forward to the next one. See you soon!

P.S. I’m talking about more stories that I couldn’t fit into this blog on the radio. It airs every Monday and can be heard in Japan, so please check it out!

Click here for more details:https://x.com/ICTradio_Lounge

Kaishu Ishiharada

Hello again! I’m Sharmee Abuan, one of the Learning Mentors at ICT Hakusanroku Campus. It’s been just over a month since the school year began. In my last entry, I shared about the workshops we handled throughout the previous year. This time, I’d like to share about something we did on a smaller scale but is just as important: the mini workshops we held for our new students about a week into the academic year.

Before classes officially started, the Learning Mentors got together to think about how we could help incoming students settle in more smoothly. Adjusting to a new school can already feel overwhelming, so we decided to focus on practical skills. These are the things students would actually use every day at ICT.

The mini workshops ran for four days, with each session lasting about 15 to 20 minutes during the first part of our Learning Sessions from April 13th to 16th, 2026.

Day 1 – eSyllabus Workshop

We started by introducing the eSyllabus and explaining why it’s important to check it regularly. It is very important that they understand how to use the eSyllabus because it is the main system students use to view their class curriculum, content, and tasks. At first, some students seemed unsure as they navigated the system on their own. You could tell they were carefully trying to figure things out. Before long, though, they began clicking around more confidently and asking questions when they got stuck. By the end of the session, it was clear they felt more comfortable using it.

Day 2 –Microsoft Word Workshop

As ICT students write reports and reflections in their classes, this session focused on the basics of creating documents such as formatting, using shortcuts, and saving files properly using Microsoft Word. Students then created a short self-introduction document using what they had learned. Some went straight into organizing everything neatly, while others immediately started experimenting with different fonts. It was actually fun to see their personalities come through as they use the program.

Day 3 – E-mail Workshop

Day three was all about writing and sending e-mails properly with subject lines, greetings, polite wording, attaching files, and making sure messages go to the right person. Students practiced writing short e-mails on their own, and many of them reread their messages several times before hitting the send button. They were also asked to use the output they made in the previous workshop as an attachment to their e-mail. Mastering how e-mails work will be very useful not only in their ICT life but also in their professional journey.

Day 4 – Review

The final day was mostly a review: checking the eSyllabus, using Word, and sending e-mails again. Compared to day one, the atmosphere felt noticeably different. The room was more relaxed, and students seemed more confident. It was a small change, but an easy one to notice.

The workshops themselves were simple, but going through them was a good reminder of how much these “small” things matter. Checking the eSyllabus or sending a clear e-mail may seem minor, but they can make a big difference in how smoothly someone adjusts to a new environment. Sometimes, it’s not about doing something big but about feeling capable in the everyday moments.

Sharmee Abuan