Student Voice: What I will miss the most when I leave Akita – Birk SOERHUS, University of Oslo, Norway

Birk SOERHUS, University of Oslo, Norway is participating in our exchange program starting in the Spring 2023 semester. We would like to introduce his experience at AIU.

Hello there. The first day I arrived at AIU we had a campus tour guided by student volunteers. On this tour I was able to see what is called “Kanto” for the first time, one of the traditional festive performances of Akita held every August, which is performed by the AIU Kanto Team. I would quickly fall in love with Kanto. I knew I had to try it out for myself, and felt really welcomed by the Kanto members upon joining. The more people I came to be friends with other members of the Kanto team and the more I joined their training sessions the more I became hooked. Kanto and the friends I made during Kanto practice are now some of the things I will miss the most on the sorrowful day when I have to leave Akita. It has been easy to get to know people during my stay in AIU, not only the people in the Kanto team but also the other students. I cannot state enough how lucky I have been to be able to meet so many beautiful people.
For more information about AIU Kanto Team, visit on AIU Kanto Team Facebook
and AIU Kanto Team Instagram.

I have for a long time been fascinated by the relationship between nature and humans in Japan, especially when it comes to traditional architecture. There is something about a Shrine standing by itself in the woods that I love and a shrine in a village with a bright coloured car driving next to it.

There is a beauty that I haven’t seen in any other place. By zooming in I find Akita to be rich with small wonders. The most relaxing little wonder I have been able to visit has to be one of the many onsens in Akita. I didn’t imagine an onsen would be so wonderful as it is. Taking a trip to an onsen is an experience, as on the way I got to see a lot of the mesmerizing rice fields and other sights.