Being a Waseda Student Ambassador

Waseda Student Ambassadors (WSA) are student volunteers who conduct campus tours for overseas visitors. Yuma Kinoshita, a student majoring in English literature at the School of Education, is the leading member of WSA and trains junior tour guides.

Kinoshita, whose hobby is looking for collectables at antique shops and vintage clothing stores, first participated in a campus tour his high school teacher recommended when he was a senior. Being taken in by the atmosphere full of green and vibrant students, he was unexpectedly drawn to the picturesque Waseda Campus and became eager to apply. After his acceptance, Kinoshita started training to become a campus tour guide.

Tour guide training starts with memorizing massive information about the University, including the year buildings on campus were built, the distinctive features of each school, notable alumni and the number of volumes at the library. Even after passing such intensive training, Kinoshita says there were times when his seniors severely scolded him before he was able to give tours on his own.

In the summer of 2015, when Kinoshita was starting to feel setback as a campus tour guide, he learned about the implementation of WSA and decided to give it a try. Once he started, in comparison to the Japanese guides who were responsible for a larger audience, Ambassadors had the flexibility to enjoy a conversation with a closer-knit group. “Instead of following a strictly structured program outline, I realized that I like speaking more openly.” With his newly discovered aptitude, Kinoshita started to receive positive reviews from overseas guests who went on a tour with him.

In exchange for a degree of freedom, Ambassadors must tailor the tour content case by case depending on who the audience is. Kinoshita makes sure to do research on his audience’s background and tries to incorporate interesting facts that would capture their interests. For example, when visitors from the University of Chicago came to Waseda, he mentioned that a baseball match between Waseda University and the University of Chicago was held in 1910 at the Abe Baseball Stadium, where the Central Library stands today. A baseball fan among the visitors was extremely excited that Kinoshita knew about this, and it became a moment when he felt pleasure in communicating with people, though it requires prior preparation to be ready for any circumstance.

Kinoshita gained public speaking and communication skills through his experience as Ambassador, and he is keenly interested in a job which entails speaking, such as an anchorman. Despite it being a competitive position, Kinoshita is not apprehensive. “It would be best to find your passion and keep going at it, eventually letting it become your profession.” Without being swayed by others, Kinoshita stands firmly by his beliefs.

Campus tours

Campus tours are open to prospective students, their parents and alumni. Current students are also welcome. For inquiries, please contact the Information Square.