Blog English

2025 Othmer Fellow, Milka Mupuka, in her peer feedback discussion group. Photo by Kyoka Horiuchi

Cultivating Community at the 2025 Othmer Research Fellowship Spring Workshop

MITAKA, JAPAN – On Saturday, June 7, 2025, JICUF brought together its inaugural cohort of Othmer Research Fellows for an intensive Spring Workshop on the ICU campus. The Othmer Research Fellowship provides ICU students financial support to conduct independent research projects over the summer. (Learn more about the Othmer Fellowship HERE.) The workshop underscored JICUF’s commitment to not only funding student research but also fostering a supportive network of emerging scholars. The event began with welcome remarks from JICUF Program Manager, Fernando Rojas, who celebrated the long-standing partnership between JICUF and ICU. He noted, “while this is a JICUF program, it is a program that can only happen here, in […]

Community-2

JICUF Japan Office Hosts C-Week-Related Events

, , , ,

In April, the JICUF Japan Office hosted three events in conjunction with ICU’s Christianity Week. JICUF Led Spring Community Events at ICU JICUF hosts community events each semester to foster connections at ICU between students, staff and faculty. On Thursday, May 15, JICUF hosted a community event in the dining hall that brought together 40 participants who enjoyed a fun and relaxed evening together, sharing food and interacting for more than two hours. During the event, participants gathered at various tables to introduce themselves and respond to a set of prepared discussion questions, aimed at deepening mutual understanding. Since the event was held just before Christianity Week, two thought-provoking questions […]

Hishiyama-1B

JICUF Grantee Highlight: Singing Songs and SDGs Storytelling in Spanish Class

, , , , , ,

Project title: “Singing Songs and SDGs Storytelling in Spanish Class” Grant recipient:  Adiene Hishiyama, Instructor of Spanish Amount awarded: 300,000 yen Adiene is on the far left (All photos on this page taken by Yu Goto) Adiene Hishiyama, who has been teaching Spanish at ICU since 2018, held a workshop on learning Spanish songs with support from JICUF’s faculty grant. This workshop not only improved the participants’ vocabulary and pronunciation through singing, but also explored issues such as migration and poverty which were reflected in the songs. The project culminated in a performance at the Nishi-Tokyo City Cultural Festival held in November 2024. Through this project, the students not only […]

2025_4_25 small group discussion

JICUF Co-hosts Events on Refugee Higher Education with Wilfrid Laurier University

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In late April, JICUF co-hosted three events in Japan on the theme of expanding higher education access for displaced students: a roundtable on Burmese and Rohingya refugees at the University of Tokyo, a presentation by Wilfrid Laurier University’s International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) team, and a full-day student workshop for student action for humanitarian causes at ICU.

Viktoriia-3

My Journey at ICU – Viktoriia

, , , ,

Five Ukrainian students arrived on the ICU campus in May 2022, just shy of three months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Two of these students, Ivanna Tomchichenna and Viktoriia Koretska, completed the Master’s program in Public Policy and Social Research and received their degrees this spring, graduating from ICU. (You can read that article here) In the following, Viktoriia, who has secured employment at a company in the Kansai region and is about to take her first steps as a working professional in Japan, reflects on her time at ICU. When I arrived in Japan nearly two years ago, everything felt uncertain. I had left behind my home, my […]

Wasabi-1

Farm Project Report – Spring 2025

, , , , ,

The Farm Project, a collaboration between JICUF and ICU, was launched in spring 2024. (Click here to read about the project’s background and meet Farm Manager Chigusa Horiuchi.) JICUF will be sharing seasonal updates on the project’s progress and activities. Rooted in the themes of food, agriculture, and environmental engagement, the Farm Project began its activities last fall under the name FARM DAYS. Students and faculty volunteers gathered about three days a week to cultivate the land, plant fruit trees, and tend to the fields. By February 2025, nearly 100 individuals—including many repeat volunteers—had taken part. Currently, the project focuses on three key areas: the forest garden, the orchard, and […]

1 2 3 4 ›»

Back to Top


Copyright ©Japan ICU Foundation All Rights Reserved.
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1844, New York, NY 10115 / 212-870-3386 | information@jicuf.org
Webdesign by New Classic Design