July 6th, 2023

 The Hanshin Railway's Naruo-Mukogawa Joshi Daigaku-mae Station area was selected for the Grand Prix, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award, in the 35th National Street Project Competition, which recognizes municipalities that have carried out excellent street improvement projects. A total of 17 projects from across the country were entered in the 35th National Street Project Competition.

 The continuous multi-level crossing project around Hanshin Railway's Naruo-Mukogawa Women's University Station was carried out by the Nishinomiya Civil Engineering Office of the Hanshin South Prefectural Centre of Hyogo Prefecture between 2000 and 2018 by elevating a 1.9 km section of railway near the station to eliminate six level crossings and improve the surrounding urban planning roads and side roads, in collaboration with the community. The station was highly praised for its ground-breaking attempts in cooperation with the local community. The station was designed by the Mukogawa Women's University Architecture and Urban Design Studio (a first-class architect office) in collaboration with Hanshin Electric Railway Co.

　In December 2018, Mukogawa Women's University signed a comprehensive collaboration agreement with Hanshin Electric Railway Co. The Mukojo Station Campus and Mukojo Station Campus Annex I and II are the first full-scale university facilities in Japan to utilise the space under the elevated railway tracks (approx. 2,200 m2 ) on the east side of the station, which opened in 2019. The Mukojo Station Campus is a community creation zone where the university connects with the local community, businesses and residents and provides them a platform of information, and includes facilities such as lecture rooms, Lavy's café, Minato Bank and the Knowledge Café, where students and businesses can interact. Mukojo Station Campus Annex I is a health maintenance and promotion zone for students, staff and residents, while Annex II is used as an educational support zone with seminar rooms.

 With the opening of the Mukojo Station Campus, the Mukogawa Gakuin Educational Corporation and Hanshin Electric Railway Co came together to develop a system whereby the university, businesses and the local community work together to contribute to community building. The association publishes the local magazine Naruo Tsushin, as well as sharing information via social media and other means, and organizes Naruo Fureai Events. In addition, efforts are being made to improve convenience and create liveliness, for example by installing an art box and stage in the park in front of the station, and making the north-south side of the station an alleyway that can be passed through, thereby contributing to the formation of a platform for industry-industry-academic collaboration, a place where students and residents can get together.

July 5th, 2023

Students of the Community Development Course of the Human Environmental Sciences Department held a "Tanabata Decoration Workshop" in Ashiya City.

On July 2nd, ten third-year students of Mukogawa Women's University's Community Development Course, Department of Human Environmental Sciences, held a Tanabata decoration workshop at the "Chaya Tanabata Festa" being held in and around Chaya Sakura-dori in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.

The Chaya Tanabata Festa is a project of the Chaya City Chaya Sakura-dori Public-Private Partnership Platform for Local Revitalization, organized by the Chayano-cho Neighborhood Association, Chaya Sakura-dori Business Association, and Ashiya City, and co-sponsored by Mukogawa Women's University, from July 1st through the 7th.

Ashiya Mayor Ryosuke Takashima participated in the "Tanabata decoration workshop" at the "Decorte studio", making cherry blossom-shaped Tanabata decorations together with the students. Mayor Takashima enthusiastically observed the students' workshop creations, listened to explanations, asked questions, and interacted with the students in a friendly atmosphere. The event was a great success, with about 120 people coming to the venue on that day alone. The creations will be on display at a cherry tree on Chaya Sakura-dori until the 7th.

The students held workshops with local children in advance to create picture books for community development. The students aim to create not only a one-off event, but also a long-lasting activity that will lead to community development.

You can enjoy "Tanabata no Kairo" in and around Chaya Sakura-dori in Ashiya City until July 7th.

July 3rd, 2023

Prof. Yukio Yamori, Director of Mukogawa Women's University Institute for World Health Development, published a new book "The Wise Eating Technique of an 80-something Doctor and His Wife".

Professor Yamori has studied food and health for about 40 years, visiting 61 regions in 25 countries around the world and collecting urine and blood data from about 14,000 people. He found that the intake of seafood and soybeans increases healthy longevity, and that Japanese people who eat Japanese food, which is rich in these foods, are less likely to be extremely obese. The high salt content of Japanese food is a drawback, but if yogurt, which contains high levels of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, is added to the diet to counteract the harmful effects of salt, it can be "the world's best diet for health and longevity," he proposed. The yogurt that Professor Yamori brought back from then Georgia in 1986 is known as Caspian Sea yogurt.

This book addresses lunch as an opportunity to "eat one meal a day," and introduces a healthy longevity bento with about 30 items prepared by Yuriko, Professor's wife and a practicing pediatrician. Yuriko supports her family's diet while working as a general practitioner, and together they practice the "world's best healthy longevity diet." In the conversation, Professor Yamori himself talks in a light-hearted manner about his practice of cooking vegetables with "just the right amount of salt" by "microwaving" them in a simple steamed dish. He also encourages his readers to "replace all three meals with a healthy lunch, which may seem burdensome, but just one healthy lunch can improve your health."

Professor Yamori commented on the publication of the new book, "I tried to make the content easy to read and easy to incorporate into one's daily life. Eating soybeans and fish also increases folic acid and essential cholesterol, and helps reduce arteriosclerosis and dementia. I hope that people will practice healthy longevity from a young age by referring to the "Wise Eating Techniques" in this book," he said.

With the aim of sharing its academic research and studies with society, the Institute for World Health Development accurately conveys effective knowledge on how to control lifestyle-related illnesses and extend healthy life expectancy, and offers suggestions on how to incorporate this knowledge into daily life.

Since 2008, the institute has been conducting nutrition education activities, titled "Healthy+ Dietary Educational Activities," launched by the institute's lecturers at that time, in cooperation with housing complexes, kindergartens, and food companies in Nishinomiya City. It trained 319 "Dietary Education Teachers," individuals who were then able to conduct classes on nutrition education. Since then, Professor Yamori has continued to teach at Mukogawa Women's University's Open College, and the number of participants in various nutrition education classes has exceeded 4,900.

Professor Yamori said, "The institute will continue to promote cooperation with local pharmacies and supermarkets to create an environment that encourages the spread of good eating habits. As the largest women's university research institute, we will also promote women's health to the world," he said emphatically.

June 25th, 2023

First open campus in 2023 held without restrictions for the first time in four years!

The first Mukogawa Women's University Open Campus for 2023 was held on June 25 at the Main Campus, Hamakoshien Campus, and Kamikoshien Campus, with approximately 1,400 high school students and parents in attendance. The event was the first time in four years that it was held in a completely open-access environment.

As this was the first time in a while that the event was held without restrictions, there was a noticeable participation of not only high school seniors but also younger students at the Central Campus. The opening ceremony at the Koe Memorial Auditorium featured a mini live performance by the music club and a spectacular stage performance by the rhythmic gymnastics club, and students participated actively throughout the entire program, including talk live performances and guided campus tours. The Azalea Cafeteria and the Ensemble Café in the Koe Memorial Hall served meals and one-plate lunches that students eat every day, and parents, children, and friends were seen enjoying the menu selections together.

New to this year's event was a live talk show by a popular educational YouTube star. Shiori Yuba of "Rikejo no Sodanshitsu" and Takayuki Yonamine of "Yonatan Channel" introduced study methods and secret strategies to boost motivation at the Koe Memorial Auditorium.

The Department of History and Culture, which will open in April 2024, also held its first department program. Faculty members scheduled to take up their new positions also participated in the program, conveying the appeal of the department to high school students.

The Department of History and Culture, which will be newly established in the Faculty of Letters, specializes in Japanese history, and will focus on the essence of history and culture from the perspective of people living in Japan. Many high school students and their parents visited the individual consultation rooms set up in the library and the department program, saying "I love history" or "I am interested in this new department," and listened intently to the explanation from the faculty members. In the department program, the explanation of the department and mock classes attracted much attention. The exhibition section, which featured a gorgeously embroidered Taisho period obi belt, swords and other historical documents, and colorful Vietnamese folk costumes, was also popular with visitors.

Open campuses will be held on July 8 (Sat.) and 9 (Sun.), August 10 (Thu.) and 11 (Fri.), and September 24 (Sun.) throughout the year.

June 20th, 2023

The Mukogawa Women's University Alumni Association held an on-campus blood donation campaign on June 20th at the Main Campus, with the cooperation of students and faculty members.

The alumni association has been conducting blood donations in cooperation with the Japanese Red Cross Society since 1981.

The blood shortage is continuing nationwide due to measures against the coronavirus infection and the stagnation of blood donation activities caused by natural disasters. The General Affairs Committee, which is in charge of implementing the program, notified all students of the blood donation request via social media in advance. The "Fast Pass" reservation system, which allows students to donate blood on a priority basis at a convenient time, also proved effective, and during the one-hour blood donation reception in the morning, there was an unbroken line of people who wanted to donate blood.

Students at the reception desk said, "My friend asked me to go with her, so this was my first visit to the donation center. It's nice to be able to donate blood without having to queue," were some of the comments made by students. A graduate student who was having a break after donating blood said, "The time that usually feels long passed quickly because the person in charge was happy to talk with me while I was donating blood."

A student from the General Affairs Committee said, "I really appreciate everyone's willingness to help with the blood donation. There are some people who cannot donate blood due to weight restrictions or insufficient hemoglobin levels, so we would appreciate your cooperation while taking consideration of your health".

The General Affairs Committee is also preparing free giveaways for those who donate blood. The blood drive is also scheduled to be held on the Pharmacy Campus on the 23rd.

June 19th, 2023

The 77th All-Japan Gymnastics Individual Championships were held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium from June 8 to 11, and Aiko Sugihara, a member of the gymnastics team and a strengthening coach, won the championship. This is the second time in three years that Aiko Sugihara has won the championship in the floor.

Sugihara's desire to become an athlete was rekindled in April, when she began working as a coach (Junior gymnastics athletes) and a reporter for All Japan Gymnastics Individual Championships. She qualified for this year's competition by winning the right to compete in the video screening. In the finals, she was the only competitor to achieve an E-score of 8 points.

Ayari Tsujimae (3rd year, Health and Sports Science), who competed on uneven bars, performed error-free and improved her score from last year, placing 14th in the preliminary round. Mitsuha Kotani, a 2nd year in the Health and Sports Science Department, placed 14th in the preliminary round for her beautiful performance on the balance beam.

The results are as below: 

Ayari Tsujimae, 14th place in the Preliminary Round of Parallel Bars. 

Mitsuha Kotani, 14th place in the Preliminary Round of Flat Bars.

Aiko Sugihara 3rd place in Preliminary Round of floor, 1st place in the finals.