On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, we held an English and Japanese language exchange event at U Share Waseda WC1, co-hosted with QQEnglish, a company that offers online English lessons and study abroad in Cebu, the Philippines.
University students and young professionals interested in English and international exchange joined U Share residents and staff for 90 minutes of games and free conversation, speaking in both English and Japanese. Here is how it went.
Half English, half Japanese
The theme of the event was "international exchange and language exchange." The program was split evenly between English and Japanese, so Japanese participants had a chance to speak English and international students had a chance to speak Japanese.
Rather than splitting into teachers and learners, everyone was on the learning side, which made it a two-way exchange. QQEnglish staff explained the game rules and ran the games in English and Japanese, so even people who were not confident in their English could join in with ease.
Breaking the ice with a self-introduction game
After an opening introduction of QQEnglish and U Share, we started with the icebreaker self-introduction game "YES Hunter." Participants who looked a little nervous at first began talking naturally as the game went on, and a sense of togetherness spread through the room.
Spirited communication games
Next, we took on the communication games "Eigo Dake" and "Katakana Nashi," played in English and Japanese. Trying to get their meaning across with limited words, people searched for other ways to say things and used gestures, and every table came alive.
What stood out was how hard the international students worked to get their point across in Japanese. Their attitude inspired the Japanese participants too, and a "let's just try speaking, even if we make mistakes" mood spread across the whole room.
Forming a circle and listening to each person
In the second half, everyone formed a circle and introduced themselves one by one. Favorite things, work, why they came to the event: the conversation naturally went a step deeper than during the games.
International students from Lithuania and China also shared stories about differences between their home countries and Japan that had surprised them. Their perspectives, which come precisely from living in Japan, drew laughter and surprise from the Japanese participants, and the room got really lively. We closed the event with a photo of the whole group.
Participant voices
I was inspired by the international students' hospitality and how eager they were to speak Japanese! I'm glad the activities let me have fun speaking English.
I don't often get the chance to talk with people from other countries, so it was fun to connect with them.
It was my first time joining an international exchange event, and I had a great time!
Learning from each other in everyday life
At U Share, we value chances for people of different cultures and languages to meet and learn from each other in daily life. As this event showed, a residence's shared space can become a place that connects residents with the local community and wider society, and that is part of the way of living U Share aims for.
We are preparing for the next event so that we can keep creating opportunities for exchange together with QQEnglish. Once it is scheduled, we will announce it on our website and social media.
Event overview
- Event: International Exchange Event for Young Professionals and Students, English Beginners Welcome (QQEnglish × U Share)
- Date and time: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 19:00–20:30
- Venue: U Share Waseda WC1
- Organizer: QQEnglish
- Co-organizer: U Share Inc.
