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welcome to our home!! “Niji no kai” is a club that does all kinds of

different activities throughout the year. Most of

the time, many international students from all

over the world are involved in our activities. The

events include discussing Japanese culture,

playing many sports, going on trips, and

drinking, etc. We look forward to seeing you

guys!

The “Lounge” is where Niji no Kai hangs out and lots of international exchange students

come too. Especially at lunch time, there are lots of people here. Everyone spends their

time doing whatever they want; chatting, eating, doing homework, naps etc. You should

try coming here! It’s on the first floor of Building No1.

Niji no kai国際交流 虹の会 since 1965

If You Join Us

You Are Guaranteed To.. . 1. Enjoy life at school as a REAL

Waseda Student! By spending lots of time with our members, you

can see for yourself how students at Waseda hang

out in and out of school. We also participate in

school events such as Waseda’s festival and

Waseda baseball games where you’re sure to feel

like a real student at our school.

2. Make Lots of

Japanese Friends There are more than 100 members

in our club. Everyone has different

hobbies and interests so you will

definitely find someone you can get

along with.

3. Get the Chance to

Initiate Events of

NIJI no Kai

Every event of our club is initiated by

several

members of organizers called Kanji. You

can

be one of these organizers to take part in

planning and producing these events.

4. Drink and Do “CALLS” We have at least one big Nomikai per

month. This is a drinking Party where

we all sit in a big room at an Izakaya

(Japanese style restaurant-type place

where you drink) and enjoy drinking

and eating.

Of course many of us regularly go to

pubs or clubs, or just hang around

at home and you can join us.

“Calls” are what we do at

Nomikais. It’s a kind of chant and

the person doing the call has to

keep drinking when he/ she is

being shouted at.

Drinking alcohol is not mandatory

at Niji no Kai and you can enjoy

Nomikais without getting drunk.

Voices!!

Nick Mastrogany

Before coming to Japan last September, I had taken some Japanese classes. Upon arriving in Tokyo though, I felt like much of what I had previously learned had vanished and I struggled with even basic communication. Since joining Niji no Kai though, the members have been understanding of the language gap. If anything, they’ve been quite helpful with helping me improve my Japanese conversation skills. In addition to that, they’ve also provided an oasis to relieve the stresses of being a student in a completely different country. Living with a host family located far away, downtime between classes at Waseda can become quite long. However, I knew that Niji had a lounge on campus, so I decided to take a visit there. I was more than welcome by everyone there, despite only knowing the members who had been a part of the Oregon pick-up group. The members can be a little bit shy about talking to you at first. Despite this, if you go up to any of them and introduce yourself to them, they’ll prove to be quite friendly and talkative. Now whenever I want a place to go to during the lunch hour or have a gap between classes, I’ve found the Niji lounge to be a refreshing place to drop by. As for the events that Niji no Kai hosts, I’ve found them to have an equal mix of both cultural activities and social events. Cultural activities can range from learning traditional dances from Okinawa to making mochi with giant,

wooden hammers. With Niji, a hefty portion of the social events include drinking, occurring at places such as a barbeque by the river and drinking parties at Daruma. Although these social events have a revolving theme around drinking, there’s absolutely no pressure to drink, even at the drinking parties. If you aren’t too big on drinking, it’s no issue, as these social events are great places to meet new friends. Because Niji no Kai is an international club, you’ll have the opportunity to not only meet Japanese students but other foreign exchange students. Whether you’re looking for a place to help get your footings in place as a foreign exchange student or a place to make new friends, Niji no Kai is a fantastic place to achieve such goals.

Rhiannon

Charles

Niji no Kai is an amazing club with amazing people. The members of Niji no Kai are a rare bunch of people; they are friendly, hard working, they know how to have fun and are interested in the people in the club and not just the idea of the club itself. The club atmosphere, whether it be hanging out in the lounge, going on trips for their events or just going over procedures and information at club meetings, is very relaxed and very welcoming. I find that as a student studying in a new country, Niji no Kai’s friendliness and outgoing atmosphere allows one to have confidence in meeting new people and trying new things. Niji no Kai is awesome!

Alexander

Edlefsen

In the United States I was never really a part of a big club like Niji no Kai. I went to Santa Monica College, a junior college, right out of high school and later transferred to Cal State Long Beach. At a Junior College, clubs are a little more toned down in general. There are a few big clubs, but I never joined any of them. And at Cal State Long Beach I joined Japan Club, a club with much fewer members, less formality, less diversity and much less power. When you join a Waseda Club like Niji no Kai you enter into a highly stratified, dynamic, formal-yet-informal commune, where you can’t help but feel a part of something big. You can tell I like using big words. I guess what that last complicated sentence means is that my being a member of Niji no Kai makes me feel, well, cool! I remember when I attended my first Niji no Kai Japan Study this past December. There were so many people in that classroom, so many people who I knew, and to say the least, I felt pretty cool. I had met most of these friends individually earlier in the semester, each time having its own interesting story. I was like, “Hey that’s ‘so-and-so’ who helped me translate my presentation yesterday.” And, “Hey that’s the dude I met at the gym.” And, “Hey I met her at the Christmas Party. I’m gonna see her dance performance next week.” And I must’ve thought something like that about half the people in the room, since that was how many people I had met. And as for the people I hadn’t met, it was no big deal just shaking hands with them and meeting them. Some of the people I hadn’t seen in a long time, so it was a cool reunion type of thing. I saw other CSU people there and felt another shot of pride. People right and left were saying “hi” or “hisashiburi” or what have you. And then all of us together enjoyed the entertaining presentation, and after wards went to go hang out at Toyama Campus. Honestly one of the funnest nights I’ve had here in Japan. Now, my story might not seem like anything special. I mean, of course the club event was fun. That’s just what you do when you’re in a club: you make

friends and have fun. That’s what a club’s for. And after all we have clubs like that in the United States too. But for me, not having ever been a part of such a big club, I felt proud to be at that event. And over the course of the next few months I started going to more and more events. And eventually, I was asked to present for one of the events: English Study. This slow but sure increase in involvement in the club further increased my pride and sense of belonging. And now I’m coming up with event ideas of my own, and I feel more motivated to get involved. So, for me, that first Japan Study was the first of a string of memorable experiences with the club. All of which helped me to express myself and realize my own goals. Perhaps sharing my experience will affect someone’s decision to join the club or not. Either way, I would highly recommend joining Niji no Kai. To the International Students out there, please consider joining. When all of us CSU students first got to Japan, there were Niji no Kai members there to welcome us. Niji had a welcome party, various outings and other cool activities already planned out for us. It became very easy for most of us to feel part of this club because from the very beginning we were already participating in Niji events. At school, Niji members always make themselves available to help with homework, show you where your classroom is or to just hang out and talk. And of course for the Japanese students, Niji no Kai is a good choice too. You can meet so many cool people both Japanese and not. You can organize and put on your own events with your friends. You can join this club and another club at Waseda. If you’re not a Waseda student, you can insert yourself into the Waseda network. Or, you can learn a new language from any of the many international members. Niji no Kai is an international club. This is cool in the sense that you can meet people from around the world. But, it’s also cool in that it doesn’t really exclude anybody from becoming a member. A tennis club after all is only for people who like tennis or who are good at tennis. A singing club or other performance club might reject you if you’re not good enough at it. But an international club is not so exclusive. There are lots of different kinds of people with a variety of interests, ideas and cultures. Niji no Kai’s events range from kick-ass formal events and obnoxious nomikais to presentations on pop culture and visits to the local kindergarten; from language learning and practicing calligraphy to playing basketball and making mochi. Come check out the next event and see what you think!

NN i j i n o k a i h o l d s a l o t o f e v e n t s t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r ! !i j i n o k a i h o l d s a l o t o f e v e n t s t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r ! !

A p r i l

OHANAMI (SAKURA VIEWING PARTY) Ohanami is one of the events that Japanese love! We go on a picnic to view Sakura (cherry blossoms). In April, we also hold lots of welcome parties for freshman.

M a y 100KM HIKE This is the most unique event of Waseda! We take a 100km walk for 2 days wearing funny costumes. If you want to challenge your physical and mental strength, come and join this event with your funniest costumes! Those who completed walking 100km will gain “Waseda Spirit”!!

J u n e

WORLD COOKING COMPETITION Niji’s cooking competition! Let’s make and have some delicious traditional meals from different countries! We separate into some groups where we learn how to cook them. It’s a good chance to learn new

dishes and how to make them. Those who are good at cooking can become a hero!

A u g

SUMMER CAMP This camp is one of the biggest events of Niji no kai! We go to the campsite surrounded by nature. And we play in the near river, have a BBQ, have a test of your courage, and so on. In the last night of this camp, we have entertainment performance times and hold a drinking party outside!!

O c t o b e r

SOUKEISEN This is a baseball rivalry game between Waseda and Keio University. We go to the ballpark to cheer the Waseda baseball team. The performance of the cheer leading girls and the brass bands will make the atmosphere even more incredible! Show our love for Waseda!

N o v e m b e r

WASEDA FESTIVAL Waseda Festival is the biggest open campus festival in Japan. So many people visit Waseda that the campus gets packed! There are lots of food stalls and exciting events and performances! Niji no kai runs a different country’s food stall every year!

D e c e m b e r

X’MAS PARTY This party is one of our biggest parties of the year! No matter what religion you believe, whether you are single or not, you enjoy your night having drinks and chatting with other mates with your coolest or sexiest dresses!

J a n u a r y

COUNTDOWN PARTY Say goodbye to the old year, and greet the New Year with Niji’s people! We go to the shrine and take part in the countdown event. After that we drink all night long to celebrate the new year, and then early in the morning we go to do HATSUMOUDE (first shrine visit of the new year)!

F e b r u a r y

SKIING&SNOWBOARDING We go to the mountains covered with nice lovely white snow and go skiing and snowboarding for about 3 days! For some of you it might be the first time in your life to see the snow, and it is a fantastic view! Romance on a beautiful winter day wouldn’t be a bad idea!

Baseball, soccer, basketball,

dancing, cooking, watching movies,

birthday parties, drinking outside

and so much more…

We have lots of events and you can host any event that you want!!!

All of the events are good chance to make a lot of friends, improve your Japanese

skills and enjoy life as a REAL Waseda Student.

Join us and see what it’s like, we hope to see you soon!!!

There are events where you can learn about culture while surrounding yourself with

the Japanese students of Niji no kai.

JAPAN STUDY

In Japan Study, we talk about all sorts of

different things about Japanese culture and

you can communicate with many Japanese

students. It’s a good chance for you to improve

your Japanese skills!

ENGLISH STUDY

English Study is held by students from the

countries where English is spoken. We learn

their culture, music, slang and so on with

Japanese students and international students.

If you want, you can present your favorite

things to us!

WORLD STUDY

World Study is held by international students

and focuses on learning about different

cultures from all over the world. At World

Study, you can introduce your own country,

culture and so on. These are great

opportunities for you to learn about not only

the culture of Japan but the cultures of the

world.

HIROTAKA HASEGAWA HIROTAKA HASEGAWA (Hase)(Hase)

Don’t be fooled by Hase because the first few times you

meet the leader of Niji no kai he may be shy, almost timid,

but the more time you spend with him the more you

understand how much heart and soul he has. The love and

dedication he has for Niji no kai shines just as brightly as the

characters he plays during his manzai. If you take a moment

to watch him you’ll probably see him doing the many

impersonations of the members of Niji. If you’re lucky

enough, he’ll even make fun of you! If it is not his biting

comedic remarks it is the high-pitched laughter you’ll hear

amongst a crowd that lets you know that he is entertaining

and bringing a smile to everyone’s face. Take the

opportunity and time to get to know him and you’ll walk

away with some of the best memories guaranteed!

MASASHIRO MUTO MASASHIRO MUTO (Mutwo)(Mutwo) Mutwo is the VP, second in command to Hase. Upon his return

back to Niji, he has been highly involved in various events. He has

been kanji (organizer) for things such as Soukeisen and

NatsuKyan (summer camp) and he works very hard to keep Niji

no kai going strong. He loves meeting people from around the

world, making friends, and learning about other countries culture.

Get to know him, talk with him, befriend him and see how cool of

a guy he is. He was on a lacrosse team so challenge him to a

game and he may take you on. Also if you can persuade him to go

to karaoke and sing with everyone, you'll have a blast!

AIKO MORIYAMA (AiAIKO MORIYAMA (Ai--chan)chan) See that girl with a camera in her hand and a smile on her face?

That’s Aiko! You can say anything to make her happy and her

lively personality brightens up anyone’s day. When you get the

chance to talk to her be prepared to have some great

conversations because she is always ready and willing to chat.

She’s a really good friend to have especially, when you are in a

jam because she is always there to help you out and pick you up

when you are feeling down! Her caring ways makes her perfect

for being the main support of all the leaders in Niji no kai. She’s

a girl who knows how to have fun and you’ll have a great time

when you are around her!!

EMI OKADA (EmiEMI OKADA (Emi--chan)chan) Don’t let her quietness fool you, not even for a second! This girl

has a warm heart and a kind personality to boot! Her smile just

melts your heart into a thousand pieces which she can quickly

pick up and reassemble at the speed of light! She is the

treasurer after all and keeps track of all the money going in and

out of this club. She is one responsible girl who will get you

smiling in no time! So go on, don’t be shy! Say hi to her!

YASUSHI YAMAGUCHI (Yassan)YASUSHI YAMAGUCHI (Yassan)

He is the mature and super IKEMEN of Niji no kai. Is there any

better person to be the PR representative? I think not. He has

the stylish clothes, the effortless laugh and perfect hair that

everyone wishes for. Cool, calm and collected is the best way to

describe him because he is always on point. But don’t be

intimidated by his god-like perfection. His dimples are a clear

indication of how sweet and kind he is! Take a smoke break,

have a seat next to him and ask him about his many travels.

You’ll enjoy any conversation with him!

YUSUKE SHIMIZU (Ossan)YUSUKE SHIMIZU (Ossan)

As the leader of events in Niji no kai you’ll see

how his natural ability to talk and

communicate with others lends perfectly to

this role. Despite his somewhat bad boy

persona he is the epitome of a gentle giant.

Although he towers above most and can

probably take on any guy, he is a lover not a

fighter. You’ll never see him angry or upset,

he is a constant source of positive energy for

Niji no kai. Befriending him is one of the best

choices you will ever make!! He is indeed Big

Brother Ossan!!

YOSHIO TANIOKA (Yokkun)YOSHIO TANIOKA (Yokkun)

Notoriously known for his classic black frames, he is the

secretary of Niji no kai. He’s just as suave with his camera

as he is with his words so ladies beware; he is probably

flirting with you. But don’t get the wrong idea; he is also

the sensitive type who you will totally divulge all of your

best kept secrets to. Whether you like it or not, you’ll

probably fall in love with him or wish you had as much

game. Despite his pretty face get to know him, he loves

rock music and Apple computers and will spend the whole

Nomikai talking to you about various hobbies and

interests.

KANAKO ARASHIMA (Kanako)KANAKO ARASHIMA (Kanako)

She is smart, friendly, and will help you out when you’re in

trouble whether you need Pocari Sweat to help you cure a

hangover or just need someone to stay by your side and keep

you company. She absolutely loves Canada so if you’re

Canadian you’re in luck! Don’t get me wrong though, she’s

friendly with all the international students. By the way, her

English is pretty good so if you don’t have the confidence to

speak in Japanese yet, feel free to talk to her. Oh, and just so

you know, the more alcohol she drinks, the more English she

speaks! Win-win situation right? Right!

SAORI AOI (Sao)SAORI AOI (Sao) This cute, spunky girl is in charge of all the

international students and through it, her personality

shows. She’s super energetic and is ready endure

anything whether it’s climbing Mount Fuji or preparing

for the 120 Km hike. She genuinely wants to get to

know each and every one of you. It’s because of all of

the friends she’s made in Niji no kai that she feels her

personality has come to life so she’ll always try her

best to strengthen your friendship with her. She’s also

awesome at basketball so watch out or she’ll school

you! For your information, she knows how to

snowboard and is a very patient teacher so if you’re

learning how to snowboard for the first time, convince

her to go to Niji no kai’s ski/snowboarding trips!

If you e-mail us here:

nijinokai.s7@gmail.com We’ll send you information on our events throughout the year.

And this is our club’s homepage:

http://www.niji-waseda.com Take a look at our pictures and blog to see what our activities are like.

Sousuke Kawano Aya Watanabe

Thank you for reading this pamphlet about Niji no kai.

We are looking forward to seeing you in our events!!