November 6th, 2023
We placed a congratulatory advertisement in an issue of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team as the "Closest University to Koshien", which won the championship in Japan.
On November 5, the day the Hanshin Tigers won the championship in Japan, Mukogawa Women's University placed a congratulatory ad in an offprint of the Mainichi Newspaper as the “Closest University to Koshien."
As soon as it was distributed in front of Osaka Station after 11:00 p.m., Hanshin fans eagerly waited for it, and the 2,000 copies prepared for the event were sold out in less than two minutes.
On the back side of the brochure is a comparison of Hanshin's performance by year since 1985, the last time the team won the championship, and a comparison of the current season's performance with that of 1985. The list of starting lineups from when Coach Okada was a player include some memorable faces such as Mayumi, Barth, and Kakefu.
Mukogawa Women's University has a sign posted on the first base side of Koshien Stadium's Alps as the "Closest University to Koshien Stadium."
November, 6th 2023
Three Japanese style salads designed by students of the Department of Food and Nutrition have been commercialized and are now on sale。
The three winning entries of the "Japanese Salad Recipe Contest" are now being produced by Mukogawa Women's University and Ito-Yokado (supported and sponsored by NIPPON ACCESS, Inc. and Asahimatsu Shokuhin Co.
This contest was first held last year on the theme of "side dishes" at the initiative of an employee of Asahimatsu Shokuhin, who is a graduate of the University. Last year, two types of lunchboxes were commercialized.
The theme was "Japanese style salad" this year. Recipes with photos and illustrations were submitted by 20 students, with Natsuko Koizumi, a third year in the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, winning the Grand Prix, Sato Hadano, in the same Department, winning the Koya Tofu Award, and Ayana Ishimoto winning the Dry Food Award.
Ms. Koizumi invented "Taco-style SHAKE Japanese style Salad," a salad of lettuce and cabbage mixed with a whole container of spicy taco-style sauce. The sauce is mixed with tiny pieces of kouya tofu, creating a satisfying finish. Ms. Hadano's "Tabbouleh-Style Refreshing Creative Japanese Salad" uses tiny pieces of kouya tofu as couscous, and adds Japanese elements with shiso leaves and edamame beans. Ms. Ishimoto's"Hijiki Italian Japanese style Salad" is topped with a sheet of Parmesan cheese for an unexpected look and texture.
In the process of commercialization, multiple people were involved in the trial production and tasting, not only for the ingredients, taste, and nutritional value, but also for the packaging and illustrations. Ms. Koizumi said, "They made various suggestions on how to cut the cabbage, and I learned that it is a very difficult process to create a single product," and Ms.. Ishimoto added, "We made improvements with the colors by adding red and purple vegetables, and chose a suitable container that would not allow the juice to pool up. When we saw the finished product, we had a moment of realization that this is what would be put up on store shelves." After the product went on sale, Ms. Hadano was curious about the how it's look in the store, so she visited the Ito-Yokado Koshien store every morning and evening. "When I went back a second time, I found that the product was selling even better," she reported with a smile.
The three students have their own dreams of becoming certified dietitians, such as becoming civil servants, working in product development at a company, or providing nutritional guidance at a hospital or company. Ms. Koizumi said, "I gained confidence from the hands-on experience of product development while I’m a student," Ms. Ishimoto commented, "I learned the joy of receiving feedback from people at companies who evaluated my work," and Ms. Hadano said, "I think I can use this experience in the future when thinking about menu, including companies and public health centers."
November 6th, 2023
"Mukojo TV #17 of Mukogawa Women's University" will be broadcast today around 5:30 p.m. on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation TV.
Mukojo TV" on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation TV, in which students and faculty members serve as guides to the various attractions of Mukogawa Women's University. The theme of episode 17 is the fashion show at the cultural festival. The guide was Yuka Yanagawa, a third-year student in the Department of Life and Environmental Studies, who was in charge of the overall presentation. The fashion show is a traditional Mukojo event handed down from seniors to juniors, where students themselves create everything from costumes to models and show structure. This program looks at the spectacular show attended by about 150 people and the students who struggle behind the scenes.
Mukojo TV is broadcast on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation TV around 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of every month. For past programs, please visit the university website.
November 2nd, 2023
The library seminar "Ask Novelist Hiroshi Matsumiya about 'Secrets of Creativity'" was held on October 31st at the Global Studio in the Central Library. Mr. Matsumiya, a part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Business Administration, won the "2023 Hyogo Book Award" for his work "Unforgettable." The Central Library's Literary Awards section has a display space for his award-winning work and other works, and it was a perfect opportunity for the seminar to be held there.
At the seminar, Mr. Matsumiya first talked about how he brought his manuscript to a publishing company while working for a company, and how it took five years to get it published, as well as the advice he received from a veteran editor during that period. In response to questions from students about how to write a novel, Mr. Matsumiya answered questions such as, "Keep working on it and make sure you have written what you want to convey when you finish it," "Stories have logic, failure, and exciting developments," and "Layering scenes rather than writing as an explanation makes a story vivid and understandable to the reader. The story is written in layers of scenes, rather than as an explanation, so that the reader can vividly understand the story." In addition, he gave three points about "Secrets of Creative Writing."
The students asked, "What do you write on when you start writing, on a computer or on a piece of manuscript paper?" Do you need foreshadowing in your stories? What was your college life like? Were you ever afraid to bring in a manuscript?" and many other questions.
In closing, Mr. Matsumiya encouraged the participants to "try all sorts of new things while you still have a chance to make mistakes."
After the seminar, students commented, "It was such a valuable experience to meet and hear from a novelist," "I discovered things about how professionals write and what makes a novel uninteresting," "Maybe I can become a novelist too," and "I am very interested in writing novels, but I am not sure if I want to. I was interested in writing novels, and I learned a lot by listening to the tips and tricks firsthand.”
November 1st, 2023
A series of undergarments jointly developed by 10 students of the School of Business Administration and Utax Co., Ltd.
The Faculty of Business Administration has been planning and developing FemTec products as part of Project Based Learning since 2021 with Utax Co., Ltd., a well-known manufacturer of ladies' undergarments in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, utilizing Utax's proprietary "needle and thread-free adhesive technology.
Professor Chieko Takahashi of the School of Business Administration and 10 students spent about 10 months from May 2022 to February 2023 developing a girdle in an effort to solve the lower body concerns of Generation Z women. The students visited the Utax Co., Ltd. factory to deepen their understanding of the product, and conducted a survey of Gen Z women. The students focused on the fact that "young women are concerned about the appearance of their lower bodies, but have low awareness and use of girdles," and narrowed their focus to the development of an ideal girdle.
Each time a prototype was produced, the students themselves conducted a fitting, communicated the areas for improvement to Utax Co., Ltd. and reflected the findings in the product. They also proposed product names and promotion plans that would attract the interest of Gen Z women.
The product was displayed at the "Muko-Jo Smile Fest" held at LaLaport Koshien on February 18, and the total process from research, planning, prototyping, to sales went from concept to completion.
The finished product was "Re:sou," a 100% seamless girdle ideal for "comfortable and beautiful looking bottoms." The seamless girdle has no seams, and the washing label is printed on the girdle. It is less prone to itchiness than conventional girdles with seams, and has become a product with excellent texture and comfort. Other benefits include a molded, three-dimensional hip-top appeal and compression to tighten the inner thighs. It is available in sizes S, M, L, and LL, and in three colors: black, beige, and pink.
Rio Inoue, a fourth-year student who participated in the project development, said, "There was a big difference between learning about it as an academic subject and putting it into practice. I was able to experience the difficulty and effort involved in bringing a product to the market, and it was a great learning experience. I am looking forward to seeing many people using the product."
October 31st. 2023
Mukogawa Women's University's Department of Food Creation Science in the Faculty of Food and Sciences and Nutrition has decided to conduct an exchange program with Bahçeşehir University in Turkey, which has an interchange agreement with Mukogawa Women's University.
During the cross-visit program, from November 5th to 18th, a total of 16 students from 2nd to 4th year of the department and two faculty members will visit Bahçecihir University. This will be followed by a visit to the University from November 27 to December 9 by eight students studying food culture and cuisine at Bahçeşehir University.
The Department of Innovative Food Sciences was established in 2020, and one of its goals is to nurture human resources who can play an active role on an international level in the food industry, which is becoming increasingly globalized. The mutual visit program with Bahçeşehir University is implemented on that basis, and the objectives are as follows.
"Practice communication with people abroad who share different cultures and values."
"To experience the transnational expansion of the food industry and develop a global perspective."
"Learn about Turkish cuisine, one of the world's three major cuisines, and its food culture."
"To interact with students studying food at Bahçeşehir University and foster friendship with them."
"Expand academic interaction between the two universities.”
"Contribute to the strengthening of mutual understanding and ties of friendship between Japan and Turkey."