The Japanese Culture Club at University of Canterbury, New Zealand Many of our members speak and/or are learning Japanese. JSoc would love to have you join us.
Japan Society (JSoc) is a community brought together by our shared interests in Japanese culture and language. We hold events that celebrate aspects of Japanese culture in a way that is accessible to both domestic and international students here at UC, as well as to the wider community in Christchurch. Our events include weekly language exchanges that have a relaxed, social atmosphere, as well as
14/05/2025
Here is our menu for Asia-Pacific Festival tomorrow (15th May) at 11am-4pm!
Come along to the UCSA to get some tasty takoyaki, available in two flavours: shrimp flavour and chicken sausage and cheese flavour! We will also be running a workshop where you can come in to learn some hiragana and words in relation to the theme for this year's APF - cottage core & florals 🌸🌹🌻
26/02/2025
Join us for our weekly Japanese Language Study Group! We meet on Tuesdays 3-5pm, and the locations for this semester can be found in the image below. All levels of Japanese learners are welcome, and native speakers are also welcome to join and help those who are learning! Whether you are studying Japanese at a UC course and want a space to do your JAPA homework, or are self-studying in your own time and want to study alongside others, join us at our study group!
26/02/2025
We can now confirm that the first Language Exchange will be held in Beatrice Tinsley 111 at 4-6pm on Friday! Come and join us for our intro night and for food, fun, and games! If you are a first-year and are interested in becoming our first-year rep, please come talk to our current exec members and let them know you're interested!
This event runs weekly, except for the first week of semester, and the last week of each term, so come along and meet your friends while you chill after a long week of study!
18/02/2025
🌟 CREATE YOUR OWN JSOC MERCH! 🌟
Want a piece of JSOC to rock wherever you go? Bring your own white or light-colored shirt, tote bag, or garment, and we’ll print our iconic mascot, PONKICHI, LIVE on-site!
📅 When? March 14 | 🕓 4-5 PM
📍 Where? Market Space, 2nd Floor, Central Library
🖋️ QUIZ NIGHT WITH UCGS! 🖋️
Test your knowledge of Japanese culture with a fun quiz night, featuring cultural trivia, casual games, and great conversation, in collaboration with UCGS
📅 When? March 20 | 🕓 5:30-7 PM
📍 Where? Rehua 226 (TBC)
🍫 JAPAN FIESTA: CHOCO BANANAS 🍌
Sweet Treats Await! Come visit our JSOC stall at Japan Fiesta and enjoy the ultimate choco banana experience!
📅 When? March 1 | 🕓 10 AM - 6 PM
📍 Where? Riccarton Park
💲Entry price? $15
✨ Early Bird Discount Available! ✨
Join us for delicious fun and more at the Japan Fiesta, celebrating the best of Japan! 🎉
18/02/2025
✨ Arigato & Thank You! 🇯🇵❤️ ✨
Over the past few weeks, we had the incredible opportunity to welcome and support the Sonoda Exchange Students from Japan through three special activities!
📍 City Walk Tour (Jan 29) – A huge thank you to our JSOC members who joined in to show our guests around the city! From iconic spots to hidden gems, we loved sharing our favorite places and enjoying lunch together at Riverside Mall.
📝 Student Surveys (Feb 5)
With the help of our amazing volunteers, the Sonoda students were able to engage with UC students for their surveys. Thank you for making them feel comfortable and welcome!
🍽️ Farewell Dinner (Feb 7)
We ended the exchange on a high note with a beautiful farewell dinner at SCC Hinoki. It was a night full of laughter, gratitude, and new friendships that we hope will last beyond borders!
To everyone who helped out, thank you for your kindness, enthusiasm, and hospitality. We’re so grateful to have been part of this cultural exchange, and we hope to see our Sonoda friends again in the future! 🇳🇿🤝🇯🇵
10/12/2024
2025 JSoc Membership!
We have the 2025 sign-up form now available! By signing up, you will become a JSoc member for 2025 and will be on our 2025 mailing list. Those on the 2024 mailing list will continue to receive JSoc emails until we have had Clubs Day in semester one next year.
The link to the 2025 sign-up form is here:
Japan Society Membership Form 2025 Join the JSoc UC for 2025 by filling our this form!
30/09/2024
25/09/2024
At the AGM this Friday (27th September, 4-6pm in Beatrice Tinsley), we will be voting on constitution changes! The changes can be viewed here: ( https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qlm2A9Y27XsaaiM3Lljwf2TTvbedAMPK/view?usp=sharing ). To compare it with our current constitution, you can go to the resources tab on our club page: ( https://ucsa.org.nz/club/6614/ ). The changes are mainly to bring our constitution up to standard with the UCSA and there are a couple changes that make running the club smoother, or just define things further.
If you have any questions regarding the changes or the upcoming AGM, please reach out to us at [email protected] 😊
Japan Society Japan Society (JSoc) is a community brought together by our shared interests in Japanese culture and language. Many of our members speak and/or are learning Japanese.
We have an Special General Meeting next Friday (9th August) during the language exchange (4-6pm in Beatrice Tinsley 111). Two of our current exec will be leaving to Japan (congratulations to Rebecca and Rachel 🎉🎉🎉)! So we will be electing two new exec in their place, come along to meet them! The rest of the language exchange will be as usual, a space for you to meet friends and have fun 😊
31/07/2024
Here are the rooms for Study Group (Tuesdays 3-5pm) for Semester 2:
J-SOC aims to facilitate and promote the use of Japanese amongst those who are just learning, those that are interested in the culture and for the fluent speakers. The language and culture promotion is established through regular events such as movie nights (showing Japanese movies with English subtitles) “LingoSwaps” (language exchanges between English speakers and Japanese speakers), Nomi-kai (informal social gatherings), Ohanami (flower viewing) to name a few. Regardless of whether you are just interested in Japan, have lived there, or learning the language at whatever level, everyone is welcome at J-SOC.