September 30th, 2023

Nohgaku Club held a workshop at the Central Library. International students tried their hand at the Japanese traditional dance "Takasago".　The "Nohgaku Club x Library Collaborative Exhibition" is being held on the first floor of the Central Library.

　This is the third collaboration project with the alumni association that the library has conducted this year. A panel exhibition on "Nohgaku" is set up between the shelves of "Literature Awards" and "Picture Books" facing the aisles, explaining "Noh" from seven different perspectives and showing emotional expressions of kata (movements) with pictures. Many visitors try their hand at a quiz in which they are asked to arrange Noh masks in order of age.

 　On the afternoon of September 27, the workshop "Behind the Noh Masks: Experiencing Japan's Three Great Classical Performing Arts, Noh" was held in the Global Studio on the 2nd floor, and　international exchange students Caitlin Bezant and Alyce Doboulay from Murdoch University, Australia from Murdoch University, Australia, participated in the workshop.

　The workshop consisted of a performance of the shimai "Takasago" together. At first, Ms. Saki Fujikawa (freshman, Department of Japanese Language and Literature), a member of the Noh Department, gave a brief overview of Noh, its costumes, masks, and movement patterns, and a lecture on how to take a fan used in the shimai dance and open it, how to stand in a basic position, and how to advance with a suri-step.

　The international students first watched the shimai performed by Ms. Fujikawa, then stood up from their seated poses and moved with her, asking her which way to go, where to look, etc. They also learned how to recognize the position on the stage. They also deepened their understanding of the dance by using a schematic diagram showing their positions on the stage and hearing an explanation of where on the stage they would move toward the audience in the next movement.

　After learning all the movements, they danced through "Takasago" at a slower tempo than usual. Chihiro Higashi (junior, Department of Applied Music) and Machiko Shirakawa (Noh Club OG), members of the Noh Club, participated in the shimai as jiuta. After finishing the shimai, the international students expressed their relief, saying, "It was difficult...."

　Ms. Shirakawa, who was watching the two performers, commented, "Even though it was their first time, they were able to move very well. Perhaps it was good that they were able to move without any preconceptions."

September 26th, 2023

Lavy's Café is now serving "Mokumoku Kumokumo," a collaboration menu featuring JAPAN SODA, a new product from Nihon Zakari Co.

JAPAN SODA was developed to appeal to the younger generation who are not familiar with Japanese sake, and is a non-sweet sake soda that can be enjoyed with any meal. A total of twelve third-year students from the seminar worked on the development of the product.

The students were briefed by Nihon Zakari on the history of sake, how it is made, how JAPAN SODA was developed, marketing plans, and other information. At the same time, a questionnaire was sent to students and faculty members.

 The questionnaire asked about the impression of JAPAN SODA, ideal situations when drinking sake, and side dishes they would like to eat with the sake. The survey also looked at various ideas to make Generation Z want to "drink it again". Since young people have the image that sake is difficult to drink, the students focused on the drinkability of JAPAN SODA and made improvements to the menu to make it drinkable like a cocktail.

At the presentation to the companies, they proposed five menu items. Each group proposed a drink menu with kiwi sauce and popsicles, as well as side dishes such as waffles and jelly containing sake. The presentation also included mechanisms for creating return customers, such as electronic product vouchers given for multiple drinks and the opening of official accounts on social networking services.

The cocktail chosen from the five menu items was a refreshing cocktail with a pop color contrast of white and blue. “JAPAN SODA" is mixed with nata de coco, lactic acid drink, and crushed popsicles for a refreshing taste. We named it "Mokumoku Kumokumo" because it looks like clouds floating in the big sky mingling with the blue sky. It is also playful in that it reads the same way when read backwards."

September 26th, 2023

Mukogawa Women's University applied to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for the "Initiative for Implementation of Diversity Research Environment (Female Leader Development Type)," a project funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster human resources for science and technology, and was selected as an institution to implement the "Challenging Next Generation Female Leader Development Program at Women's University". The program will be implemented from FY 2005 to FY 2028 (tentative).

The six universities selected this year are Nagoya University, Osaka Metropolitan University, Hokkaido University, Okayama University, Kumamoto University, and MWU, making MWU the only private university and the only women's university to be selected.

September 24th, 2023

Mukogawa Women's University held its last Open Campus for this academic year on September 24th at the Chuo Campus, Hama-Koshien Campus (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), and Kami-Koshien Campus (Faculty of Architecture), attracting approximately 1,700 visitors.

The opening ceremony was held at the Koe Memorial Auditorium and opened with performances by the brass band and dance club. In between the explanatory sessions on the entrance examination system, "Guerrilla Talk Live" was held by four students from the Department of English and Global Studies, the Department of Japanese Language and Literature, the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, and the Department of Education, who asked questions such as "What made you decide to enter MWU?” to "Are you worried about job hunting?” and "Are you anxious about job hunting?”

Later, visitors participated in the "Departmental Programs" and "Discussion Corner with Faculty Members" of the department of their choice. In the Azalea Cafeteria, a section was set up where visitors could consult with several departments, and high school students visited the booths of their respective departments of interest.

 At the Central Campus, the "Campus Tour," in which university student open campus staff guided visitors around the main facilities on campus, proved popular.

Finally, the entrance examination for the 2024 academic year at Mukogawa Women's University is about to begin. Applications for the publicly-admitted entrance examination will be accepted from October 10th (Tue.). For details, please visit the "Examinees' Site" on our website.

September 21st, 2023

Twenty-four second-year students participating in the American branch programme of the Department of Education departed for Mukogawa U.S Campus (MUSC) on 5th of September.

The university's U.S campus is located in Spokane, Washington, USA, where each department runs its own departmental program. In addition to learning practical English, the students live together in a dormitory and have the opportunity to experience cultural differences.

The Department of Education's program runs for about four months until late December for second-year students who wish to study English and American educational studies, with study trips in early October to Boston, and to New York, home of the United Nations headquarters. There is also practical training at local kindergartens and elementary schools, where students can learn things they would not be able to experience back home in Japan.

September 20th, 2023

For the renewal of the Takarazuka Bridge over the Mukogawa River, seven graduate students from the Department of Landscape Architecture presented a garden design for the pedestrian walkway space, and made an announcement of their design proposal to Takarazuka City Hall on 20th of January.

 Based on a comprehensive cooperation agreement between Takarazuka City and Mukogawa Women's University, Takarazuka City, which will be in charge of the flowerbeds after maintenance, asked the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University to propose a gardening design. Seven second-year master's students worked on this project as part of their 'Internship in Architecture Practice II' class.

The Takarazuka Bridge with a new pedestrian walkway space is scheduled for completion in 2023. To come up with a design proposal, the students first carried out fieldwork around the Takarazuka Bridge. Taking into account the characteristics of the area, such as the strong exposure to the sun and the heavy traffic of cars and bicycles, both local residents and tourists, the students adopted the colors of the five groups of the Takarazuka Revue in the flowers and leaves to express the 'glamour of Takarazuka as a gateway to the city and close to the Takarazuka Grand Theatre'.

The presentation showed several design proposals in plan, elevation, model and CG animation. Plants with different flowering seasons were planted so that the colors of the flowers could be enjoyed throughout the year, while consideration was also given to ease of maintenance, such as watering and trimming. The plan also includes lavender, rosemary and other flowers whose fragrance can be enjoyed by all five senses, not just by looking at them.

Mayor Yamazaki commented: “It is wonderful that the recollection of crossing this bridge will remain with the scent of flowers. I am happy that the proposal was made with care and maintenance in mind. I hope the bridge will be loved as a garden bridge for many years to come.”

Kyoka Kataoka, a second-year master's student, said: “It was the first time for me to make a presentation in front of so many people, including the mayor, and I was nervous, but I'm glad it was received favorably. I am looking forward to crossing the completed bridge".