An international student from Zimbabwe stayed with a host family in Shikokuchuo City from December 5 (Fri.) to December 7 (Sun.), 2025. This homestay program is conducted annually by the Institute for International Relations to promote mutual exchange in the region and to give international students a deeper understanding of Ehime. In order to further strengthen exchange between international students and local people and communities, visits to local elementary schools are also made during the homestay.
First, on Friday, December 5, they visited Toyooka Elementary School in Shikokuchuo City. The international students gave a PowerPoint presentation about their home country of Zimbabwe in Japanese, and then answered questions from the elementary school students. Later, the international students participated in school lunch and cleaning, and were surprised at the different form of elementary school from their home country.
When they met their host families after the school visit, they greeted each other in Japanese with nervous faces, but when they returned to Matsuyama two days later, they were sad to say goodbye to their “Japanese families. In Japanese class after the homestay, they wrote their first thank-you letters in Japanese and sent them to their host families as soon as possible.
This is the 34th time that the Institute for International Relations has held this event. Each time the event is held in a different region of the prefecture, and with the cooperation of everyone involved, the content of the event has been tailored to the unique characteristics of each region. The relationships established through these events have expanded, and networks between the Institute for International Relations and other regions are now being formed. We hope to continue this event in the future to further expand the circle of exchange.
Last but not least, we would like to thank the Shikokuchuo City Hall and Shikokuchuo Municipal Toyooka Elementary School for their great cooperation throughout the entire event. We would like to express our sincere appreciation.
＜Institute for International Relations（IIR）＞