![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_3291.jpeg\")
Photo by ICC<\/p><\/div>\n
I have attended the ICC Welcome Caf\u00e9 for the past couple semesters, and it has consistently been one of
\nthe most helpful spaces for meeting people and engaging in intercultural exchange at Waseda University.
\nWhen I first arrived in Japan during the fall semester, I found it difficult to connect with others. Because
\nthe academic year begins in spring, many students had already formed friendships, and it was not easy to
\nfind opportunities for casual conversation, especially across language and cultural differences. The
\nWelcome Caf\u00e9 offered an environment where those interactions felt natural and expected, which made it
\nmuch easier to start talking with others.<\/p>\n
The relaxed format of the event encouraged participants to move freely between conversations and speak
\nwith a variety of people. This structure helped me step outside my comfort zone and interact with students
\nI would not normally meet in classes. I was able to talk with both Japanese and international students
\nfrom different faculties and academic years, which made the experience feel open and inclusive. The
\nshared purpose of cultural and language exchange also made conversations flow more easily, since
\neveryone attended with the intention of communicating across differences.<\/p>\n
One of the most valuable aspects of the Welcome Caf\u00e9 for me has been the opportunity to build
\nconfidence in speaking Japanese. At first, I often hesitated to start conversations in Japanese because I
\nwas worried about making mistakes. However, the atmosphere at the Welcome Caf\u00e9 made it clear that
\ncommunication was more important than accuracy. Through repeated participation, I became more
\ncomfortable initiating conversations, asking questions, and expressing my thoughts. This gradual
\nimprovement carried over into my daily life at Waseda and made it easier to interact with classmates and
\nparticipate in other activities.<\/p>\n
The Welcome Caf\u00e9 also makes it easy to form friendships regardless of age or faculty. Because
\nparticipants are encouraged to speak with multiple people, it creates opportunities for connections that
\nmight not otherwise happen. Some of the people I met at the event became friends I continued to see on
\ncampus, which helped make my overall experience at Waseda more comfortable. For students who arrive
\nat different times of the year, including the fall semester, this kind of open and welcoming space is
\nparticularly helpful when looking to meet others.<\/p>\n
Overall, the ICC Welcome Caf\u00e9 has played an important role in my experience at Waseda University. It
\nprovides a casual but supportive environment for cultural and language exchange, helps build confidence
\nin speaking Japanese, and makes it easier to connect with people across different backgrounds. By
\nattending over multiple semesters, I have been able to see how consistently the event creates opportunities
\nfor meaningful interaction and helps students feel more connected to campus life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
E.L. Waseda Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies I have attended the ICC Welcome Caf\u00e9 for the past couple s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,97],"tags":[116],"class_list":["post-41939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-other-en","tag-event-report-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41939"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41952,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41939\/revisions\/41952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}