The Department of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), welcomed students from Osaka University, Japan, from September 10 to 20, 2025. For ten days, they studied Indonesian language and explored Javanese culture in Yogyakarta, accompanied by lecturer Prof. Dr. Yumi Sugahara.
Activities included visits to Pakualaman Palace, Wotawati Village, the Jogja Archive Diorama, the Yogyakarta Palace, the Sonobudoyo Museum, Prambanan Temple, and Borobudur Temple. In addition, the Osaka students received guidance from UGM students who acted as tutors and conversation partners on the customs of Indonesian society.
The closing ceremony was held on September 19, 2025, with a presentation of the observation results at FIB UGM. That evening, the Osaka University student group performed at the Gugur Gunung XIV event at the Poerbatjaraka Auditorium, singing two songs, Tsubasa wo kudasai and Doraemon no Uta, in Indonesian. The visit concluded on September 20, 2025, with the students' return to Japan.
This program is a form of strengthening academic cooperation between Gadjah Mada University and Osaka University. It is hoped that this cultural visit will not only be a forum for academic cooperation, but also a place for learning and understanding between cultures. In addition, this activity contributes to the introduction and preservation of cultural values that form the identity of both nations. Thus, this program is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the aspects of quality education (point 4) and partnerships for the achievement of common goals (point 17).
