Naga City’s competitiveness is built not on scale, but on people. As the city’s growing reputation as a center for education and human capital development continues to take shape, students from Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) participate in the first group of participants in their outbound exchange program to Japan.
Dubbed “Tayo no Tabi”, the inaugural Ateneo–Bunkyo International Friendship Encounter marks a milestone in the partnership between ADNU and Bunkyo University in Japan. Hosted across Bunkyo University’s Koshigaya Campus in Saitama Prefecture and Adachi Campus in Tokyo, the eight-day exchange brought ADNU students directly into academic, cultural, and community settings abroad.
Seven ADNU student volunteers—Kyla Eunice Barnuevo, Melchor Filippe Choi Bulanon, Joepet Joe Carreras, Jerick Jim De Lima, Marijoy Jae Marfega, Jesse Gabriel Obsuna, and Axyl Genesis Quibral—participated in the program, accompanied by Office of Student Affairs Director Rodolfo Sonny Virtus Jr. and Program Officer Janice Tresvalles. The program formally opened on November 2, 2025, coinciding with Bunkyo University’s Festival Days, where cultural exchange took center stage.
Cultural Exchange as Competency Building
Beyond ceremonial activities, the program subjected students to real-world cross-cultural engagement. ADNU participants shared Filipino heritage through folk dances and contemporary musical performances, while also engaging with Japanese traditions such as taiko drumming and koto music.
The experience extended beyond campus walls. Japanese students hosted the delegation through cultural landmarks, including Meiji Jingu, and co-led a Cultural Kitchen activity where Filipino and Japanese students prepared and shared traditional dishes. These informal yet meaningful interactions encouraged collaboration and communication across cultures.
Academic Engagement and Global Perspectives
At the Adachi Campus, ADNU students participated in seminars and classroom discussions that placed them in academic roles as contributors, not just observers. In one seminar attended by nearly 200 Japanese students, ADNU participants discussed energy challenges in the Philippines, disaster resilience, and sustainable energy options.
They also took part in cultural anthropology classes and joint seminars with Japanese students who had previously visited Naga. Through debates, group discussions, and collaborative activities, students developed critical thinking skills and gained comparative insights into family structures, social issues, and cultural practices. These perspectives enrich their academic formation and professional readiness.
Homestay arrangements further deepened the learning experience, exposing ADNU students to everyday Japanese life and reinforcing intercultural understanding at a personal level.
From Exchange to Ecosystem
Upon returning to Naga, the students facilitated a Japanese Language and Culture Workshop attended by over 200 participants, demonstrating how international exposure translates into local knowledge-sharing and community impact. This ripple effect underscores how exchange programs contribute not only to individual development but also to the broader educational ecosystem of the city.
The program did not end when the students returned to Naga, as sustained weekly online collaborations continue and future exchanges are planned, including another on-site B Project visit to ADNU in February 2026.
The Tayo no Tabi exchange builds on a partnership that began with exploratory engagements in 2007 and was formalized through the B Project in 2020, later expanding into Project BASE at Bunkyo University’s Adachi Campus. Over the years, multiple cohorts of Japanese students have visited ADNU, strengthening institutional ties and mutual understanding. With ADNU students now traveling to Japan, the partnership has come full circle.
Strengthening Naga’s Talent Pipeline
Programs like this highlight how Naga City’s educational institutions play a transformational role in developing a globally competent, culturally adaptive, and socially aware talent pool. By producing graduates with international exposure and applied global perspectives, the city strengthens its long-term competitiveness across sectors.
Photo credits: Ateneo De Naga Office of Student Affairs (ADNU-OSA)
