We welcomed a total of 16 participants from the United States, Canada, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Hong Kong to IJLC Summer 1, which began on June 1, 2023.

The participants, who were nervous at the Opening Ceremony, soon became friends with each other and had a lively conversation about many things.

In addition to the Japanese language classes, they enjoyed the programs of "tea ceremony" and "Bon festival dance in yukata (Japanese summer kimono)", where they were able to experience Japanese culture that they would not normally have the chance to experience: a Japanese-style room, sitting in a kneeling position, wearing a kimono, and joining in the Bon festival dance.

During the field trips to Kobe and Kyoto, they spent a wonderful time going for a stroll around tourist attractions, visiting the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, making food models, and experiencing Yuzen dyeing.

The three weeks flew by. At the end of the course, some of them commented that they really enjoyed the course because they had a lot of conversations in Japanese. They reluctantly bid farewell, expressing their gratitude to the kind conversational partners.