Welcome!

ISAN, you might ask, what is ISAN?

ISAN is a voluntary organization of the foreign students in Niigata University . It was founded in August 2001, by a number of international students of which most have already been in Niigata for a while.

Since every of us arrives in Japan, we are encountering a lot of problems such as the difficulty in Japanese language (as most of us basically dont have a background of the Japanese language) and the adjustments of the students living in a foreign country which is quite different from their countries (or said in plain - cultural shock).

Japan is probably one of the most beautiful and 'mysterious' countries of the world. Niigata, which is located in the northwestern part of Japan, is famous on its delicious rice and sake, the longest river in Japan  Shinano river- and the proximity of Sado Island. In Niigata University, the number of foreign students exceeds 400 this year, with students coming from more than 45 countries (click here for a map of the represented countries).

ISAN was established for the following purposes:

• bring foreign student together so that they can share their experiences
• introduce foreigners/foreign culture to the Japanese
• promote educational and cultural exchange between foreigner students and Japanese
• make available information concerning your life as a student (scholarship, health insurance, counseling, accommodation etc)
• Use our yet small power to improve the situation for all foreign students.