Tsubasa Shigehara: I Feel Close to My Students

Tsubasa Shigehara, a young Japanese teacher, has been at GDUFS since April 2014. She is not only teaching Speaking Japanese, Japanese Literature and Media in the Faculty of Asian Languages and Cultures, but is also one of the editors of Yunshan Seasons (an e-zine published by the Japanese Major). She accepted our interview with pleasure, telling us a lot about her life in Guangzhou and her students. When talking to her, it seemed you are talking with a fellow student rather than a teacher…

“Guangzhou is a great city”

Tsubasa first traveled to Guangzhou six years ago. “It was very hot but I like this city,” she said. In her eyes, Guangzhou is a city where historical buildings coexist with modern constructions, which is rarely seen in Japan. She had an affection for Guangzhou. So when she heard from her friend that GDUFS was in demand of Japanese teachers, she came here and fell in love with this university.

Tsubasa used to study at a university in the United States. As she majored in Chinese and Media, she is able to speak both Chinese and English. “But I have forgotten most of it.” She laughed. However, she took part in the Chinese class set up by the Office of International Communication and has begun to pick up Chinese again. She made a lot of friends there and had fun learning about Chinese culture.

Tsubasa Shigehara (middle)

“Students are my friends”

“My Chinese students are very hard-working and they are really kind to me.” said Tsubasa. She recalled that on her birthday, she received a big surprise from her class. The students shouted out “happy birthday” suddenly as she went into the classroom and there were words written in Japanese to her. She even received a gift from the class. “I was very touched.” Tsubasa said with happiness.

As a teacher, she gets along well with the students. “Not only in class, we talk a lot on WeChat too. We are like friends.” she said. “Maybe that’s because I am as young as them, so there’s no gap between us.”

Tsubasa Shigehara in class