Students and faculty of the Department of English of Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women, Nuvem, Goa had the opportunity to interact online with students of Fukuoka University, Japan and their instructor on 29 October 2026.
The session was made possible with the encouragement of Dr. Aldina Braganza, Vice Principal, Carmel College; Dr. Saoko Funada, Associate Professor, Department of English, Fukuoka University, Japan and Dr. Glenis Mendonca, Associate Professor, Department of English, Carmel College, Nuvem, Goa.
In the vibrant cultural exchange of over an hour, students of English Major, and English Minor who are studying World Literature in Carmel College found kindred souls in the Land of the Rising Sun. Enabled by Google Meet they excitedly exchanged views on Goan food; Japanese ceremonial gates; Diwali; student life in Japan, and Haiku poetry. The students in Japan were thrilled when Ann greeted them in Japanese. They expressed how they were brought up on watching the anime Doraemon and shared pictures on their phones. Anannaya who worked on the Japanese author Meiko Kawakami for her ISA, inquired whether her Japanese colleagues had read her. There were also queries on Haruki Murakami, and the Samurai.
The Carmel students were impressed by the way the Japanese were dressed and wanted to know where their outfits were sourced. They shared their preferred online platforms for buying apparel. Joselyn asked whether there were apps like Tik Tok in Japan. Sohni described the festival of Diwali which was approaching. Senifa wanted to know whether Yokai (mysterious spirits) existed. Assistant Professor Ayeesha spoke about the significance of the ceremonial gate in Japanese culture and how Chowgule college has one such gate. A student texted from Japan that this gate (Torii) marks the border between the sacred and the mundane. Carmel students spoke about Haiku by Basho who they had studied in their Creative Writing class.
Associate Professor Roxana Singh was interested in knowing the location of the University. Associate Professor and Head, Dr. Brian Mendonca wanted to know their views on Ms. Sanae Takaichi – the first female Prime Minister in Japanese history.
At the end of the session Dr. Glenis thanked Dr. Saoko Funada – a Dickens scholar – and the students for joining and hoped that interactions like these would continue. With this the purpose of the session as stated by Dr. Funada was amply served, viz. ‘to build up our mutual understanding and friendships between both countries.’