From the 30th of May 2024 until the 11th of July 2024, students from Kansai University’s KUGF Japanese Popular Culture course collaborated with Japanese language students from Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, Canada, on a joint COIL project. Led by instructors Rie Miyamoto (Seneca Polytechnic) and Andrew Sowter (Kansai University), the project combined students from both universities into groups of four or five to work on creating artifacts showcasing chosen topics related to Japanese Popular Culture.

 

The students learned about each other via ice-breaking videos followed by synchronous meetings to explore each other’s intercultural differences and similarities. Over six weeks, the students worked together to complete some amazing projects that included videos, websites, online magazines and informative blogs. They covered various topics including anime, manga, food culture, JDM Car Culture, Japanese Idol culture, Japanese gods and anime tourism. At the conclusion of the project, the students were awarded certificates of completion to recognize their achievement.