Last month Kwansei Gakuin Foundation Chancellor, Reverend Musubi Tabuchi hosted the new OIS faculty. The teachers toured the beautiful campus in Uegahara, a neighborhood that is part of the Nishinomiya suburb. Nishinomiya is between Osaka and Kobe and is famous as the home of Koshien Stadium and the professional baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers. Uegahara is 19 kilometers away from OIS.
Besides the tour, the teachers were treated to a sumptuous meal with a specifically crafted menu for the occasion. Chancellor Tabuchi explained the 128-year history of Kwansei Gakuin, which was founded by Methodist missionaries. The foundation still has a Christian ethos and is looking forward to a bright future with over 24,000 students, from doctoral students to pre-kindergarten students. The American architect designed the campus in a Spanish missionary style, and with the palm trees, it looks like California.
Mascots are popular in Japan and no tour would be complete without a visit with Honda, the mascot of the KG library. 本 hon is “book” in the Japanese language. Japan has the philosophy that mascots give institutions a human touch and encourages patrons to use their services. Honda sure makes me feel better about researching!
It was a delightful evening and a nice way to welcome the new faculty to the KG foundation. In the words of Reverend Tabuchi, “We are Kwansei!”
TIS Director's Blog 
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