“Taste — A Dialogue of Cultures” Meeting between Japanese students who arrived from the University of Tsukuba to Winter Course with first-year students of the Japanese Studies program

On March 4, 2026, a culinary workshop on preparing traditional dishes of Kazakhstan and Japan was held at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The event was organized by first-year students of the Japanese Studies program of the Department of the Far East.

Students of KazNU, as well as students from the University of Tsukuba — Thomas Mizushima, Ryo Kawano, Jumpei Takanami, Satoru Nakamura, Ritsuki Arakawa, and Saki Honjo — took part in the workshop. The meeting became part of a cultural exchange between students of the two countries and allowed participants to become more closely acquainted with the traditions of national cuisine.

During the event, Kazakhstani students demonstrated the process of preparing one of the most well-known dishes of Kazakh cuisine — manty. In turn, the Japanese students introduced participants to the traditional Japanese dish onigiri and explained the specifics of its preparation.

Such meetings create a favorable atmosphere for intercultural dialogue, strengthen friendly relations among students, and broaden their knowledge of the traditions of different countries.

Students noted that organizing joint events helps them not only improve their language skills but also better understand each other’s culture. In the future, the department plans to continue developing academic and cultural cooperation between the universities.