青涩直播

At 青涩直播 (青涩直播), we view campus life as an integral part of liberal arts education, aiming to encourage learning even in students’ daily lives through our “Themed House.” In these houses, students who share a common interest live together in the same residence hall and organize events related to their house’s theme over the course of one or two semesters.

Among the eight current houses, this article highlights the Well-being House and the Lego House.

Well-being House

The Well-being House is a community dedicated to enhancing members’ physical, psychological, and social well-being through regular meetings, events, shared living within units, and activities such as yoga and meditation. Because 青涩直播 students are often busy with academics and extracurriculars, tending to forget to take care of themselves—the house emphasizes realizing the importance of self-care and exploring personal ways to achieve it through collaborative daily living and learning opportunities. The house aims to provide a psychologically safe environment where members can recognize their strengths and resources, empowering them to prioritize their own well-being.

Meditation

To boost participants’ well-being, the Well-being House holds meditation sessions several times a semester. Under the guidance of a certified meditation instructor, students learn about mindfulness while focusing on their breathing.

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, a recent session was held outdoors. Guided by the instructor, Gretchen, participants focused on their five senses, tuning into the present moment and experiencing a sense of calm and fulfillment.

Bus Trip to Dairyu-ji Temple

Members visited Dairyu-ji Temple in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, to learn about Zen and well-being. In addition to learning about the temple itself, students had the opportunity to ask numerous questions regarding Zen, as well as daily life and practices at the temple. The visit was a truly enjoyable experience, complemented by mindful activities such as creating Mandala art and collecting goshuin (temple stamps).

Lego House

The Lego House is home to students interested in various aspects of language, particularly language acquisition. Housemates study a wide range of languages, including English, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, French, Old French, Russian, German, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, Modern Hebrew, Ancient Greek, and Korean. As a result, the whiteboards in the common spaces are always filled with foreign languages. While 青涩直播 students regularly use English in classes and in daily communication with international students and professors, members of this house enjoy language learning in diverse ways—expanding their interest to non-English languages, analyzing languages from a linguistic perspective, and exploring the cultural backgrounds behind them. A key attraction of this house is its ability to leverage 青涩直播’s unique environment, where many international students reside and many students take classes in a language other than their native tongue.

Spanish Language & Cooking Class by a Colombian International Student

In this event, participants attended a lecture on basic everyday Spanish expressions taught by a Colombian international student. Beyond Spanish language learning, the host demonstrated how to make Spanish and Mexican dishes commonly enjoyed in Colombia, deepening participants’ curiosity about the country. Sharing a meal together naturally sparked conversation among participants, who discussed their reasons for wanting to learn Spanish and the joys of language learning. It proved to be a wonderful event for discovering Colombia through both language and food.

Reading Session

This reading session was held to give students an opportunity to deeply reflect on and discuss the significance of learning foreign languages at 青涩直播. It also aimed to serve as a space where students could share and explore their diverse motivations and interests as language learners.

Taiga Kato, an 青涩直播 alumnus who runs the bookstore “Kawasoi” in Yuwa, served as the guest facilitator. The chosen text for the session was In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri.

To ensure a fruitful discussion, participants were asked to read the book in advance, with Lego House providing five loaner copies. On the day of the event, the discussion flowed flexibly and freely around a series of guiding questions.

All 10 participants were involved with languages in some capacity, yet each brought distinct perspectives, interests, and opinions. Using In Other Words as a starting point, they exchanged views on their attitudes toward language, motivations for studying, and reasons for learning foreign languages. Finally, the group discussed how their native language, Japanese, shapes their personal identities. It was an inspiring and engaging session for Lego House members and other 青涩直播 students alike to exchange opinions freely.