Prof. Nagatomi from Clemson University, South Carolina, United States

We invited Prof. Jiro Nagatomi from Clemson University, South Carolina, United States on May 20th. He offered the lecture “Required knowledge and preparation for studying abroad and characteristics of universities in the US”, and about 20 students participated. UF has an agreement on academic exchange with Clemson University, and we have been exchanging students for years.
When Prof. Nagatomi was a students, he decided to leave the private university in Japan to go to the US, and acquired all the degrees from bachelor to doctoral there. He also introduced his experiences that led to his career. He forced himself to live in an environment with no Japanese and trying to communicate in English only. He thinks it helped him to realize the diversity of the way of thinking and learn how to be tolerant of others. There were active questions from students asking about what they need to be careful while studying abroad, and differences in temperament of Japanese and American students. Lastly, he emphasized importance to go abroad and see with your own eyes, hear with you ears, feel with your skin, and contact with people. “English is a basic survival tool, and the content you learn by high school is enough. I encourage you to learn not only about the world but also Japan through studying abroad” he said.