All people we met at the universities were friendly and helpful, so even though the cities are crowded and busy, we were warmly received and taken very good care of. And this experiene is also shared by our students travelling from Volda to South-Korea and Japan.
Also, in a small place like Volda the general impression from students arriving from Japan is that people are friendly; both at the university college as well as outside. Such as when an old man helped the Japanese exhange-student catch fish in the Voldafjord, close by the university college. Fishing equipment is available as a service to international students.
Before the trip started we also talked to our students who had recently spent a semester in Japan or South-Korea. Their general assessments were positive. Detailed reports from students are available on our website (login is required).
Our partner universities in Japan and South-Korea:
Japan, Yamanashi Gakuin University:
Bilateral agreement was reached in 2014, and the first student exchange happened in 2015. The agreement has been renewed until 2024. In the years 2015-2020 (spring) 13 students from Volda have studied at Yamanashi Gakuin and 2 students from Yamanashi Gakuin have studied in Volda.
Information about the Yamanashi Gakuin university on the Volda University College website:
https://www.hivolda.no/destinasjon?mode=showSchool&idnr=42
Yamanasha Gakuin on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamanashi_Gakuin_University
Yamanashi Gakuins liberal arts program:
https://www.icla.ygu.ac.jp/en/
Japan, Rikkyo University:
Bilateral agreement was reached in February 2017, and representatives from Rikkyo have visited Volda University College in 2016 and 2017. 8 students from Volda have studied at Rikkyo and 2 students from Rikkyo have studied in Volda.
Information of Rikkyo University on the Volda University College website: https://www.hivolda.no/destinasjon?mode=showSchool&idnr=142
Rikkyo Universitety on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikkyo_University
Rikkyo Universitety webpages:
https://english.rikkyo.ac.jp/
South-Korea, Sejong University
Bilateral agreement was reached in January 2017. Since then 5 Sejong-students have studied in Volda and 5 Volda-students have studied at Sejong.
Information of the Sejong university on the Volda University College website:
https://www.hivolda.no/destinasjon?mode=showSchool&idnr=143
Sejonguniversitety on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_University
Sejonguniversitety webpages: https://eng.sejong.ac.kr/
PS: The Sejong university got its name from King Sejong the great of Korea – who in the 15th Century invented and implemented Hangul, the Korean alphabet. King Sejong wanted Hangul to be easy to learn, also for common people. Not very different from the ideas of Ivar Aasen and nynorsk language!
Pictures from the visit to South-Korea og Japan
Tokyobay 
The Norwegian delegation, visiting Samsung Innovation Museum. Photo: Samsung. 
Samsung Innovation Museum: Smart homes. 
The minister on all screens. 
Touchdown! 
Seoul from above. 
Norway – and other global powers in Tokyo. 
This is also Tokyo. View from Hotel New Otani. 
The main gate of fSejong University. From left representatives from Volda University College; Rektor Johann Roppen, Marthe Osmundsen and Iulia Beleuta 
Old acquaintances: Katsuyoshi Kanno and Yasushi Aoki – both have visited Volda. 
From left: Rector Johann Roppen, Volda University College and president Deg-hyo Bae, Sejong University. 
International staff, Sejong university. 
Minister Iselin Nybø is excited about robots!
