“Appreciation Day," an event organized by the Soka University’s Foreign Student Association (FSA), was held online on Friday, November 20, with about 40 people participating.

The event planned and organized by FSA, was held with the aim of expressing gratitude to the Japanese language instructors and International Affairs Office staff who always support the international students. This annual event for international students has the aim of showing appreciation to their families, friends, and seniors etc., and was held online to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Three international students from FSA responsible for organizing the event; Hwang Siyeon (3rd year, Faculty of Law from South Korea), Byeon Jiho (2nd year, Faculty of Science and Engineering from South Korea), and Chen Hsiang-Ling (3rd year, Faculty of International Liberal Arts from Taiwan), said, "During our study abroad at Soka University, we, the international students, have faced many troubles and difficulties due to our unfamiliarity with living in Japan. However, thanks to the support of International Affairs Office staff, all the international students have been able to study hard and enjoy their campus life. We are also very grateful for the teachers who carefully and kindly taught us Japanese so that our lives in Japan could be as fulfilling as possible.”

Some comments from the participants.

Through Appreciation Day, I was reminded of the importance of expressing gratitude. I was able to remind myself to be a person who is grateful even for the small things, and a person who will never forget to give back. (2^nd year, Faculty of Letters student from South Korea)