Sophia Magazine vol.5 / SUMMER 2017

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Campus NewsOn April 15, 2017, a spring tea cer-emony was held by the Japanese Tea Club on the Yotsuya campus in Build-ing 13, at the location of the former Fu-kudaya traditional Japanese restau-rant. About 100 guests attended, in-cluding tea club family members, stu-dents of other universities, and other outside guests.“The tea ceremony is held seasonal-ly not only to enjoy tea but also to dem-onstrate our prociency. Although I was a bit anxious about the ceremony tak-ing place in a new venue, it was a great success with the support of the many who were involved. I hope through oc-casions such as Christmas and the So-phia Festival we will continue to com-municate the joy of Japanese tea,” commented Miki Den, the head of the Japanese Tea Club and a student in the Faculty of Humanities. #09Sophia Japanese Tea Club Holds Spring Tea CeremonyFor nine days starting September 3, 2016, a delegation of three students, two teachers, and one staff member travelled from Sophia University to vis-it the Paralympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro. Thanks to the support of the local Sophia alumni association and part-ner schools, the delegation was able to meet with members of the Associação Niteroiense dos Decientes Físicos, the Centro de Vida Independente do Rio de Janeiro, and the Pontical Catholic Uni-versity of Rio de Janeiro. The delegation also viewed the opening ceremony and events at the Paralympic Games, inter-viewed volunteer staff and spectators, and learned about accessibility initia-tives for people with disabilities for com-petition venues and public transporta-tion. The delegation announced three pro-posals based on its observations, cover-ing what can be done within Sophia Uni-versity, what can be done in the run-up to the Tokyo Games, and what can be done to create an inclusive society in the future. In its proposals, the delegation stressed the need not just for “hard” infrastructure such as the construction of facilities, but also “heart” infrastructure, such as con-sideration for others. The delegation also emphasized the importance of the con-cept of “universal manners.”#07Sophia Faculty Members and Students Attend Rio Paralympicssonnel and many others offered kind support, ultimately the students deter-mined that it was difcult to travel dur-ing rush hour in Tokyo, particularly in consideration of how hard it would be to get around the city for groups of vis-itors in wheelchairs possibly unaware of Tokyo’s train usage reservation sys-tem available for the benet of passen-gers with disabilities.Newspapers nationwide covered their activities.On December 1, 2016, three Sophia students who visited the Paralympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro investi-gated accessibility initiatives in Tokyo by travelling from Narita Airport to the planned site of the New National Stadi-um.Their objective was to investigate whether the same “barrier-free consid-eration” for those with disabilities that they observed in Rio could be found in Tokyo, as well. While railway per-#08Rio Researchers in Tokyo Compare Access for People with Disabilities7