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Waseda International Student House (WISH), a student dorm with over 600 residents this year, provides a great environment to strengthen communication and cultural understanding between international students and Japanese students. Resident Assistants (RAs), a group of 30 student volunteers with different backgrounds, are always eager to provide comprehensive support for residents. I have been very honored to work as an RA on the 11th floor since September 2022. RAs have one-on-one chats with the residents about their life at WISH and provide them with suggestions for course registration and extracurricular activities. Also, we organize a variety of lectures and events to give residents the opportunity to further communicate with and get to know each other. As a new RA, I planned a Christmas lights viewing event for residents on the 6^th and 11^th floors of WISH in December. It was a memorable time with all the participants and it gave me a great sense of achievement.

A poster we created for the event

After Japan loosened its Covid-19 border restrictions, WISH welcomed the largest number of international students in September 2022 since the pandemic began. Therefore, it was important for the RAs to help these international students get used to life in Japan and make friends with other students. Waseda is home to many students from diverse backgrounds and we realized that Christmas is celebrated worldwide in different ways. In Japan, Christmas is very iconic and usually celebrated as a festive event by having chicken from KFC, ordering Christmas cakes, and enjoying beautiful Christmas lights. Japanese people refer to these Christmas lights as “illuminations.” In China, where I’m from, Christmas is considered a time for shopping with friends as many department stores usually give great deals. Sending Christmas cards is also very common. We thought that organizing a Japanese Christmas event would be a great opportunity for international students to learn about Japan and the kind of attractions that Japanese people visit during this winter holiday.

RAs packing prizes for residents

After several meetings between RAs, we decided to invite students for an outing to the illumination and Christmas market around Roppongi and Azabu Juban, famous affluent commercial areas in Tokyo and popular spots for young Japanese people celebrating Christmas. We believed that the event would be a great opportunity to bring international residents and Japanese residents at WISH together. Also, we prepared hot chocolate, oreo cookies, and curry soup powder as prizes for participants to share some festive treats. We also designed a photo scavenger hunt to be played during the illumination viewing to make the event more engaging and interesting.

On December 3, we gathered around 30 students and took the train to Roppongi together. For most residents, it was their first time talking to each other and many chatted about their student life or winter vacation plans along the way. After arriving in Roppongi,  we divided the residents into three groups, mixing up those from different countries/regions of origin, university years, and departments at Waseda so that they could interact with residents they might not usually have the chance to. As part of the activity, a RA sent pictures of five photo spots around Roppongi to each student. The group which could get group photos at all the spots could win extra prizes. We gave them a limited time of one hour. I explained the rules to all participants, answered questions, and encouraged people to talk more with other group members.

Photo spots found by a RA

After that, each group started its own “expedition”. Everyone was amazed by the lighting of Tokyo Tower and the romantic Christmas lights along the slope named “Keyakizaka.”  The elevation difference between the starting point and the end made the surrounding modern Japanese architectural design look picturesque. One of the photo spots is only accessible through a lane with a hidden entrance, which made this scavenger hunt more challenging. We were so surprised that one group only took 35 minutes to find all the spots. At the end of the event, all the residents and RAs took a photo under the Maman Spider Sculpture, which is the most iconic modern sculpture in that area and is recognized as the symbol of Roppongi Hills.

Illumination with Tokyo Tower in the background

Photo in front of a photo spot

Afterward, many residents said they enjoyed the event and felt relaxed from the mid-term exams. One student from Thailand told me that she got to know more friends and hoped to attend other events as well. As a RA, I felt a strong sense of achievement to be able to give the residents a chance to gather together and explore the metropolis. It was such a pride to create events that help residents reduce stress and provide fun experiences outside of academics. The international and friendly community at WISH warmed our hearts during the cold, outdoor adventure!

Group photo under the spider sculpture

*This article was written and contributed by the following student.

Student Contributor
Shen Yijing
School of Political Science and Economics