Uonuma Association for Multicultural Exchange

<< Application Forms>>

<< About UMEX >>

In December 2001, local people together with IUJ staff established in UONUMA the Association for Multicultural Exchange (called UMEX). With financial sponsorship from the Nakajima Memorial International Foundation, and the Association of International Education in Japan (AIEJ), UMEX officially started its activities on May 26, 2002.

The purpose of UMEX is to foster multicultural interaction, support foreign residents in this region and enhance Japanese awareness of foreign cultures.

IUJ was founded in 1982 and now approximately 240 international students from 50 countries study there. IUJ students have various cultural and religious backgrounds creating a diverse atmosphere on its campus. This makes IUJ unique when compared to other universities in Japan.

Unfortunately some misunderstanding between IUJ international students and local people happen because of the lack of communication between both parties. Therefore some local people and IUJ staff have reached the conclusion to establish UMEX, which not only solves such matter, but also makes UONUMA more attractive with the awareness of a culturally diverse environment.

UMEX aims at becoming the "connecting place" between local people interested in international exchange, and international students plus foreign residents in this area. Furthermore, UMEX is willing to enhance communication between IUJ and the local government on various matters and help internationalizing UONUMA as a whole.

UMEX holds about 160 members and is supported by students, housewives, local government officials, businessmen and self-employed workers; and encompasses members from the early 20s to 70s of age. This wide diversity underpins various activities undertaken by UMEX, allowing international students to attain well-balanced understanding of the Japanese culture and society.

<< UMEX providing the following programs >>
1. Helping with your questions on every day life
2. Offering the Japanese/English Language Program
3. Arranging the Home-stay/Home-visit Programs
4. Offering Japanese Culture classes such as Tea Ceremony class, Flower Arrangement class, Calligraphy
5. Explaining how holidays are celebrating in Japan, for example New Year.
6. Serve as a source of information of upcoming activities in the neighborhood.
7. Having Country Presentation Series by IUJ students, and so on.

<< UMEX regular activities >>

1. UMEX salon
Members gather twice a week in the UMEX salon located at the IUJ Student Dormitory No. 3, first floor. The salon is open every Saturday from 13:00 - 15:00 respectively.

The UMEX salon is a place where everyone could meet and talk on a continuous and regular basis to foster interactions. It is an excellent gateway for IUJ students and their families to get to know local people and community. Conversations held at the UMEX salon are often reflected to a variety of activities, including a bus trip, rice harvesting tour, mountain climbing, wild vegetable cooking as well as presentation by international students or Japanese students of their traditional culture, lessons for Kado (flower arrangement), Sado (tea ceremony) or calligraphy, and assisting the hosting of the Japanese Night held by Japanese students

2. UMEX Japanese Programs

UMEX will provide two Japanese language programs to non-Japanese residents in Uonuma. The purpose of our programs is to ease communication difficulties of non-Japanese residents by teaching Japanese and also to help make their life here easy and comfortable.

The services are free of charge. UMEX instructors for the Basic Japanese Language program have studied how to teach Japanese by correspondence and in spite of the few numbers, students are guaranteed the best.

The programs to be offered are as follows and the details will be announced at the end of June, September, December and March. If you wish to participate in our program, please contact a UMEX coordinator at the Office of Student Services, IUJ.

(A) UMEX Basic Japanese Language Program: Application Form
This program is designed for the following people and participants are required to purchase the testbook of "First Lesson in Japanese"(1,500 yen) if you don't have:
1. Those who have not studied Japanese before.
2. Those who took part in the UMEX Basic Japanese Language Program in the spring term and wish to continue.

(B) UMEX Japanese Tutor Program: Application Form
This program is designed for the kind of people listed below and run by them and their tutors. UMEX will assist in finding a tutor. In principle, the student and tutor will meet once a week and practice to speak Japanese about for one and half hours. The textbook, the schedule and the place to meet will be decided by the student and their tutor respectively:
1. Those who have completed the UMEX basic Japanese class.
2. Those who cannot meet the level of classes above. 3. Those who are taking the Japanese language program at IUJ or dropped out, but wish to practice Japanese conversation.

3. English Tutor Program:

UMEX has an “English Partner Program” as a counter-program to the “Japanese Language Program”. To establish reciprocal relationship between foreign residents (mainly IUJ students) and the local people, we need to overcome the language barrier with a mutual effort. Both UMEX Japanese and English language programs will be offered for this purpose.
The program outline is as follows. We hope that as many of you as possible will participate in this program as our partner.

Procedures:
1. Those who wish to join this program pleassubmit the registration form to UMEX office at your pleasure.
2. UMEX office accepts the application form from UMEX members at any time.
3. UMEX office matches partners upon request from UMEX members and IUJ student tutor.

Basic Conditions:
1. One group consists of a maximum of three students (local people).
2. One group pays 1,000 yen per one hour to their tutor each session.
3. The content of the lessons is to be decided by students and their tutor. Basically, the lesson is held once per week.

4. UMEX Homestay/Homevisit Programs
UMEX newly starts the Homestay/Homevisit Program to give you a chance to explore Japanese family life, tradition and culture. However, we don't have the capacity to offer host families to everyone interested because "homestay" is not common in Japan so far. Therefore, to introduce guests to host families with confidence, we will give preference to those who hang out at the UMEX salon.

(1)Details of the Program:
Date and Time: Basically homestays will be offered on weekends or holidays. The conditions or invitation for each homestay set by the host families will be posted only on the bulletin board in the UMEX salon.
(2) Fee:
The host families are all volunteers and you do not have to pay for lodging and food expenses in the home up to two nights three days in principle. However, you are supposed to pay the following expenses: all travel expenses during your stay including transportation to and from the host family's home, expenses for food served outside the home, telephone charges, your own shopping and other expenses for yourself.
(3) Procedures:
(a) Check out the invitation on the bulletin board in the UMEX salon.
(b) Fill in the application and contact an UMEX coordinator as shown on the invitation.
(c) After receiving the confirmation from an UMEX coordinator, please contact your host family and agree on a time to visit them and pick up travel arrangements so on.
(4) Cancellation:
If you have to cancel the stay/visit due to unavoidable circumstances, please inform your host family and an UMEX coordinator as soon as possible. Cancellation without notice would be inconsiderate and inconvenient for your host family who are preparing for your stay/visit. If it happens, you may be excluded from UMEX Hoststay/Homevisit Program in the future.
(5) Impressions on this program:
After your homestay/homevisit, please email your experiences and thoughts (with photos if available) to office@umex.ne.jp.

We would like to build up this program step by step. Your feedback and comments on this program would be appreciated.

Uonuma Association for Multicultural Exchange
UMEX Salon in International University of Japan [Map (IUJ)]
Mailbox: 35-7 Yahata, Minami Uonuma-shi Niigata 949-6609 Japan

TEL: +81-25-779-1520
FAX: +81-25-779-1520
E-Mail: office@umex.ne.jp