News & Announcements
The 2019 World Onigiri Championships were held at IUJ on April 27th
The 2019 World Onigiri Championships were held at IUJ on April 27th as part of the university’s annual International Festival. The onigiri championship inviting teams to put a their own spin on the familiar Japanese rice ball, with unique recipes containing flavors and ingredients from all corners of the globe.
This year’s event was a competition between nine teams. Six of those teams were comprised of IUJ students, and the remaining three included competitors from the local restaurant Kodamaya, Uonuma Satoyama Nouen (USN), and rice production company Meshitoku. The judging panel included esteemed guests such as IUJ’s President Dr. Hiroyuki Itami, the Mayor of Minamiuonuma City, the president of the Yamato Chamber of Commerce, and the the director of Japan Agriculture’s Minamiuonuma Branch.
The Teams
Team Nile Valley
Team Nile Valley was made up of IUJ students from neighboring countries Egypt and Sudan, both connected by the Nile River. Their onigiri consisted of chicken sausage, a common national food of both countries, cooked with colored peppers, various seasonings, and mayonnaise.
Team Laos
Team Laos created a Aok Kai onigiri, modeled after the famous Laotian dish of the same name. Aok Kai is a spicy mixture of chicken cooked with various herbs and spices, including galangal, ginger, garlic, chili and kaffir lime leaves.
Team Mongolia
Team Mongolia served up a mutton onigiri. Mutton is the most commonly used meat in the country, and the team explained to the audience that Mongolian sheep eat many different medicinal plants, so mutton meat is often consumed there to combat lethargy and other ailments. Their mutton onigiri was seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, and onion, and garnished with sesame seeds.
Team Myanmar
Team Myanmar named their onigiri the “Shan” onigiri, inspired by flavors unique to the Shan State of the country. They incorporated fish in their recipe in recognition of Lake Inle, Myanmar’s second largest lake. The lake has several species of fish and other marine life that are not found anywhere else in the world.
Team Nepal
Team Nepal created their Royal Mutton Masala onigiri, and drew inspiration from biryani, a rice dish which is popular in the country. Biryani contains spices including turmeric, cardamom, ginger and garlic, and they used these flavors alongside mutton meat and koshihikari rice for their creation.
Team USA
Team USA was up next with their Tex-Mex onigiri. Tex-Mex is a common fusion cuisine found in the southwest portion of the United States, and brings out many elements of Mexican cuisine with an American spin. The team’s onigiri combined three basic ingredients: beef taco meat, pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro), and local koshihikari rice.
Team FDK
Team FDK (Family Dining Kodamaya) created their “Megumi no Onigiri”, which contained Niigata Beef and locally grown mushrooms. They also used a popular seasoning from their restaurant to flavor the onigiri.
Team MTK
Team MTK (Meshitoku) made a salted mackerel onigiri, topped with sesame seeds and plum paste. They were confident that the flavors and aromas of the sesame seeds and plum paste would mean that even those who don’t usually enjoy fish could appreciate their creation.
Team USN
Team Uonuma Satoyama Nouen (USN) opted to create a kirizai onigiri. Kirizai is a local food popular to the Minamiuonuma region, and the team’s onigiri incorporated kirizai ingredients including green radishes, dried sardines and shrimp into their recipe.
Taste testing and awards ceremony
The judging panel listened to the presentations by each of the teams, and sampled all the onigiri, which each judge selecting his or her favorite for a special “Judge’s award.” The teams also made several hundred onigiri each to hand out to festival attendees, who were then invited to cast ballots for their favorite.
Later in the day, a presentation was held to recognize the participants and hand out awards to the teams involved. There could only be one grand champion though, and the top prize was taken by Team Laos with their spicy Aok Kai Onigiri!
IUJ students share their culture through food with their peers on a daily basis, and the World Onigiri Championships extended this unique opportunity to the local community.
We thank everyone who participated in the event, from those who created the onigiri to everyone who watched the presentations and enjoyed some of the onigiri for themselves. We also thank the judging panel for their attendance, encouragement and support for this one of a kind competition.
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Public Relations
Office of Admissions and Career Support
media@iuj.ac.jp
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The International Festival (Open Day) was held on April 27th
IUJ’s annual International Festival was held on April 27th, and saw the university’s rich culture and diversity on display. Despite the weather being colder than anticipated, the crowds still turned up to celebrate and enjoy the unique international environment of our campus.
Students set up booths with a range of foods from home to serve to the local community. There was everything on offer from Indonesian coffee and soto ayam (a traditional noodle dish) to Filipino adobo and turon (fried banana rolls), Japanese takoyaki, Thai Tom Yum and more.
Alongside the booths serving up various international delicacies, there were a host of uniquely flavored onigiri on offer as part of the World Onigiri Championships. This event has been held on the same day as the International Festival for several years, and involves teams of students creating original onigiri recipes using flavors and ingredients from their home countries. Each of the nine teams involved in this year’s event made 200 onigiri to share with the general public, ensuring there was plenty of delicious food to go around!
The stage performances commenced at 2.30pm, and opening speeches were given by IUJ’s President Hiroyuki Itami and Minamiuonuma Mayor Shigeo Hayashi. The dynamic performance schedule included everything from traditional song and dance routines through to performances by the university’s karate and yoga clubs.
Towards the end of the stage events, the Onigiri Championship awards were presented. All of the entrants put their heart and soul into their onigiri recipes, but there could only be one winner. Team Laos were awarded the trophy for the event with their spicy Aok Kai onigiri, modeled after a famous chicken dish popular in the country.
The International Festival concluded with a performance from the university’s Kizuna Band. The band was formed as a musical representation of IUJ’s diversity, with students from all backgrounds joining forces to perform together. It served as the perfect ending to another exciting festival, and we appreciate everyone who played their part in ensuring the day was such a success.
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Public Relations
Office of Admissions and Career Support
media@iuj.ac.jp
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The Open Campus will be held on Tuesday, July 30
| Event: | Open Campus for prospective applicants |
| Date: | Tuesday, July 30, 2019 |
| Time: | AM 11:00 – PM 4:00 |
| Location: | IUJ Campus (777 Kokusai-cho, Minami Uonuma-shi, Niigata prefecture) >>>MAP |
| Application: | Please fill out the Application Form and submit it via website by July 23, 2019. >>>Application Form |
Living in Japan right now, and looking to further your education? The International University of Japan is holding an Open Campus on Tuesday, July 30 from 11pm until 4pm, to give prospective students insight into what the school has to offer and to observe the Intensive English Program (IEP) Classes. IEP provides intermediate- to advanced-level English training for someone who needs practical English skills. For the last several years, the IEP has included groups of students on IMF scholarships before enrolling at other universities in Japan and Summer-Only Professionals who return to their respective workplaces after completing the program. With students from a number of diverse cultures and professional group, the IEP is more than just a language program.
IUJ was established in 1982 as the first English-language graduate school in Japan. Currently, 340 students from 59 countries undertake studies at the university, with over 4,000 additional alumni hailing from a total of 123 countries. It truly lives up to being the university Where the World Gathers.
IUJ is a school that is continually growing – not just by the number of countries that students hail from, but in its international standing. The Graduate School of International Management proudly obtained accreditation from AACSB International in February this year, and the University’s PhD program was inaugurated in 2015 with the number of doctoral candidates increasing annually.
This Open Campus is applicable to those interested in applying to IUJ for the 2019 academic year or in the near future. The event will give participants the opportunity to find out more about what the university has to offer, as well as the chance to meet current students for first hand accounts of their experiences with the school. We are located in Minamiuonuma (Urasa Station) which is easily accessible from Tokyo via the Joetsu Shinkansen – the journey takes approximately 90 minutes. Bus transport from the station to campus will be provided by IUJ.
If you are not able to attend the event, there are information sessions in Tokyo scheduled as below.
-Wednesday, July 10, 7PM-8PM
-Saturday, August 21 2PM-4PM
-Wednesda, Septemeber 11 7PM-8PM
More events can be found at
https://www.iuj.ac.jp/admission/opencampus/
Contact:
Office of Admissions and Career Support (OACS)
E-mail: contact@iuj.ac.jp
TEL: 025-779-1104