AIU Student Voice: My best club activities in AIU－Sota Hiraguri, Degree-Seeking student (Sophomore year)

In “AIU Student Voice,” AIU students introduce their experiences with student life at AIU that they would like to share with international students. In these articles, you might find some information that only AIU students would know, as well as tips for enjoying your study abroad life at AIU.

Here is a message from Mr. Sota Hiraguri.

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Sota Hiraguri, a student of the 18th entering class of AIU. Today, I would like to introduce you to some of the interesting club activities at AIU. This university has more than 45 club activities and students are allowed to join multiple clubs. In my case, I belong to 6 clubs. It is a lot, but each of these clubs has its own uniqueness that attracted my interest. I would like to share some of the information about those clubs today. 

Kanto club (team)

 Kanto is a traditional performance here in Akita, which is performed in the festival called “Kanto festival”. There are two roles in the performance. One is called “Sashite” which refers to those who hold up decorated bamboo poles that weigh approximately 50kg and are 12m high. The other is called “Ohayashi” which refers to those who play Japanese drums and flutes with a traditional rhythm. The festival is held every August 3~6th and we are practicing to put on our best performance on those days. The lanterns attached to the bamboo poles will be lit up, and watching such a beautiful and spiritual view while listening to the Ohayashi’s sounds will show you the beauty of Akita’s tradition.

“Sashite” lift decorated bamboo poles and set them on their hand, shoulder, forehead, or waist.

“Ohayashi” plays the Japanese drum and flute to create a traditional melody, which heats up the atmosphere of the performance.

Wotagei club

Maybe most of you have never heard of “Wotagei” before. Wotagei is a Japanese modern dance which is performed with dynamic actions using two glowsticks. The origin of this dance comes from the moves people use to cheer on pop idols on stage. This dance style came about in 2009, and has been gradually expanding its popularity. However, there are some Japanese people who do not know this dance, so our club’s objective is to expand such modern culture and entertain people. I am the one who made this club, so I am excited to see how this club will grow in the future.

Our first performance in 2022

Glow Sticks have various colors, and performers can create their own moves to express their coolness!

Lastly

That is the end of the description of some of my favorite club activities in AIU. Of course, there are more interesting and exciting activities in this university. I wish I could explain all of them on this page, but it would take me a week to describe them all…. So, I would like to end it here. If you have time, please take a look at some other articles of AIU voice. Thank you for reading!

From the Center for International Affairs

Belonging to six clubs is very impressive! In addition to that, starting up new clubs demonstrates his energetic personality! We would encourage international students to join any club activities that they are interested in! It’s a great chance to get to connect with AIU students and it could become a lifetime memory for you.