Dialogues in Japanese: students from the Land of the Rising Sun comprehend Turkmen culture
March 16, 2018 | 12:15 |299
Over the years, many agreements have been signed between Turkmenistan and Japan in various fields, thanks to which our countries have established a permanent humanitarian and scientific dialogue. More than once we had an opportunity to get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun, and the residents of Japan learn more about our hospitable region. One of the ways of fruitful dialogue between our countries is the regular exchange of students. Several times a year the Institute of International Relations (IIR) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan with great joy and warmth receives guests - students and teachers from the University of Tokyo. During their two-week stay in Turkmenistan, they visit museums and monuments of the country's cultural heritage, get acquainted with the sights of Ashgabat and go to the resort coast of the Caspian Sea. As part of this visit to Turkmenistan, Japanese students held a student debate at the IIR, with participation of future diplomats from Turkmenistan and Japan. The topic for discussion was the identification of differences between countries in matters of gender equality, education, employment, relations between people within the family and the impact of this factor on society as a whole. Students willingly shared their opinions, looked at the issues raised from different points of view. Later they divided into groups of eight people, and in a format of four by four shared their thoughts about the discussion.Polina Dolgova
"It was incredibly interesting to know Turkmenistan from a new perspective. Not through books and the Internet, but through lively communication and travel. I was surprised when I came to Ashgabat by how beautiful and clean it was," Mayuko Uno, a student at the University of Tokyo, shared her impressions with.
"I stayed here for two weeks as part of a special program and learned a lot. I was very glad that in some secondary schools in Turkmenistan they began to teach Japanese. In my opinion, this will best strengthen friendship between our countries, since it is the language that helps us to better understand each other's views and traditions," she said.
And these are the words of the teacher Saki Nakamura from Global Japan Program:
- I am very impressed with the level of knowledge of the language by Turkmen students. Many people can speak it perfectly! I am proud of the success of the students and I hope that in the future they will achieve their goals.
As for my decision to come to Turkmenistan and become a teacher ... I must express my gratitude to my friend Maksat, who told about your country, which caused great interest. Now he works as a teacher of the Turkmen language in Japan."
Professor Nakamura also noted that the knowledge of Japanese will facilitate future specialists from Turkmenistan to work in the field of innovative technologies and other areas where a lot of special literature is published in the Japanese language, but is translated to other languages with a long delay.
