On May 24, 2017, the first year students of the School of Economics and Management participated in an open lesson dedicated to Japan. The class entitled “Japan: The Land of the Rising Sun” was initiated by the students and carried out under the leadership of Ms. Saadat Farhadova, English language instructor at Khazar University, and with the support provided by the International Affairs Office and the Embassy of Japan in Azerbaijan.

The open lesson contained the students’ presentations on various aspects of Japanese history, economy, traditions, and culture as well as their performances and demonstrations. The Embassy of Japan provided the students with the Japanese traditional outfits, cultural items, posters and other artefacts.

The anthems of the two countries were played at the begiining of the lesson.  Fidan Kharakhmazli, Narinj Mammadrzayeva, and Emil Jafarov started the open lesson by providing a historical overview of Japan. They spoke about the country’s past and  modern times.

A presentation about the rich culture of Japan was delivered by Mehdi Nouri, an international student from Iran, and Sabina Arifzade. The presentation on Japanese culture  included the religion of Japan, its cuisine, traditions, and other aspects. Dressed in a traditional geisha costume, Sabina Arizfade performed a traditional geisha dance and delivered an informative presentation on this crucial and often misunderstood part of the Japanese culture. Sabina and Mehdi also demonstrated how to eat with sticks.

Elvin Jamalzade, Anar Gasimov, and Fatima Asadova delivered presentations on educational system in Japan.

After a short coffee-break, the open lesson continued with the students’ presentations on Japanese economy and relations between Japan and Azerbaijan delivered by Farkhad Ibrahimli, Ibrahim Hajiyev, and Aida Bayramova.

Rahima Mammadova, Shamkhal Dadashov, and Kanan Orujov made their presentations on research, innovation, and technological advances in Japan, as well as its nuclear power.

Here is what the students say about how the idea of this open lesson emerged: “The idea that turned into an exciting project later had just been a subject matter of a regular English class. While discussing developed countries of the world we thought, why not to research them deeper and compare their economic prosperity? We decided on Japan, the land of the rising sun, an ancient country with its unique lifestyle and culture.

Preparation for the class started with an online research but very soon, we realized that internet resources would not be sufficient, as we wanted to get a real taste of the country. Thanks to our English Instructor, Ms. Saadat Farhadova’s initiative and the assistance provided by the Department of International Relations, we formed a delegation of students who had a chance to visit Japanese Embassy in Baku. The Embassy really did their best to provide us with cultural items, educational books, lots of souvenirs, and Japanese traditional outfits. We entered the world of magical Japan, full of harmony and excitement.

The open lesson we had on Japan, the Land of The Rising Sun, on 24th May  at  Nizami Campus, Khazar university was really productive and successful. The academic environment was quite suitable to make this event happen.  We realized that it was a completely right choice to study the Japanese culture, promote it, make a slight contribution to  Azerbaijani-Japanese relations as members of Khazar university. We believe that the event dedicated to Japanese cultural heritage and well-established economy will stimulate student exchange between Khazar and Japanese universities.”