2nd April 2018
As I walk through the gate of the Josai International University in Japan, the old memories flooded my mind. As I reminisced, it makes me want to relive the moments of years ago, when I first entered my first-year undergraduate studies back in Malaysia.
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I have walked through this gate for a number of times before during orientation week, but today somehow the air smells different and everything seems prettier than usual even when the sakura is slowly fading away. It is the day of Entrance Ceremony which refers to a particular event that is specially organized to welcome the freshman or first-year students including undergraduates and postgraduates.
I can’t help but notice the differences between the entrance ceremony in most of Malaysian University and the Josai International University (JIU) here in Japan. In Malaysia, the ceremony is held only for the students and the students are asked to wear “baju batik” or clothes that were provided by the university. However, here in JIU, the ceremony is attended by the students and also the parents. The attire for the event is formal wear with a blazer.
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Apart from watching all the people smartly dressed in their formal suit, I am also fascinated by the presence of the cute JIU mascot in the front of the hall welcoming all the students to the university. This is yet another thing I noticed to be different from my university back in Malaysia as we do not have an official mascot.
The entrance ceremony begins with the speech by the chancellor, university management, and head departments. It is a norm in most places to applaud the person giving speech by clapping at the end of their speech. However, I have learned that it is a respectful customary here in Japan to bow as respect each time the person is invited to give a speech and also after he/she finished the speech.
Nevertheless, the most interesting tradition in the entrance ceremony for me is the introduction of all the lecturers(sensei) and staff members that is followed by the oath of the student leader to study well and be respectful of the teachers. Then, the representative of parents also gives a speech thanking the teachers. The level of respect one has for teachers here in Japan is indeed very impressive and praiseworthy.
Upon coming out of the hall, the freshman are greeted by the seniors promoting their clubs and societies. The orientation also continues to take place in which the students receive their student ID card and were given the briefing on the rules and other necessary information.
As the day ends, I walked to the train station with a bunch of new memories to be held to.