A Delegation of Students of Visual Communication Set Out on a Study Tour in Tokyo

A delegation of eight (men and women) SCE third-year students (juniors) from the Dept. of Visual Communication flew to Tokyo, the capital of Japan, within the framework of the course entitled “Shared Campus.”

For our students, this tour was an outstanding experience. The Head of the Dept., Ms. Nino Biniashvili, recalled: “We received a warm welcome at the Israeli Embassy, and in Tokyo, we were made to feel at home—it was quite exciting. We met with the Assistant Ambassador (Charge d'affaires), Asaf Segev, who told us about the Embassy’s work and Israeli-Japanese relations. The Diplomatic Attaché, Mor Riklin, described her activities, together with Mor Eliyahu, the Speaker for the Tokyo Embassy, also responsible for local community relations. In addition, it was very enriching to hear from Miyuki-San, who has been promoting cultural and artistic communication between our two countries over the past 34 years. The effort and investment put into this visit was well felt—the planning was meticulous, the Embassy staff felt it was important to give us a professional experience, enjoyable, and respectable.”

After the meeting at the Embassy, the students participated in a workshop with the Japanese artist, Ms. Makoto Tanaka. The session with Tanaka was especially meaningful. Despite the language barriers, and thanks to the professional translations, the SCE students were exposed to unique design practices and had a chance to try a wide variety of techniques.

Later, our students met with Dr. Erez Golani Solomon, a [senior] lecturer at Bezalel [Academy of Arts and Design], who has also been teaching at the University of Waseda (in Tokyo) for about 20 years. Erez invited them to the University, where he lectured on Japanese culture and design, and gave a guided tour, during which he exposed the students to Tokyo’s history and the development of its urban landscape, while comparing it to traditional Japanese prints.

The students also visited three select museums and, in conclusion, they met Yuri Klebanov, in his DLX Design Lab. Within the framework of his trip, the students witnessed cooperative projects by a variety of designers and researchers from diverse fields, such as Virtual Biology and the conservation of both culture and nature. Department Head [Ms. Biniashvili] summarized their feelings at the conclusion of this tour: “It was an outstanding opportunity that gave us all much inspiration.”