- What is the Kyoto Student Public Relations Department?
- What is Kotokare?
- workshop
- Recruitment of Public Relations Staff
- Contact us
What is the Kyoto Student Public Relations Club (Business Overview)
As competition among universities is expected to intensify further due to the long-term decline in the number of 18-year-olds, it is necessary to actively disseminate the appeal of Kyoto as a “university city and a city of students” to junior high and high school students who will become university students in the future.
Therefore, as a new collaborative initiative, the University Consortium Kyoto and Kyoto City have established the “Kyoto Student Public Relations Department” to disseminate to junior and senior high school students nationwide from the perspective of students the “real charm of Kyoto” that university students studying in Kyoto experience while living their student life.
The Kyoto Student Public Relations Department will disseminate the charms of university life in Kyoto, which students have planned, interviewed, and written about, through the dedicated website “Kotokare,” SNS, events, etc.
Support System
What is Kotokare?
Media introducing the real lifestyles of university students in Kyoto
“Kotokare” is a website that distributes a variety of content planned, interviewed, and written by the Kyoto Student Public Relations Department, and opened on October 1, 2015.
＜ＵＲＬ＞https://kotocollege.jp/ 
Kotokare Policies
Based on the idea of the name devised by the Kyoto Student Public Relations Club at the workshop, it was decided by a vote of the club members.
It is an abbreviation for “College in the Ancient Capital,” and while expressing the uniqueness of Kyoto and the school, we chose a name that is easy for junior high and high school students to remember and is familiar with.
The student PR team was supervised by a professional designer and created the following logo.
The vertical and horizontal lines represent the paths that various students are walking, and when those students intersect in various ways, they become one circle = community and connect.
It also includes the element of a “grid” in which the streets are perpendicular to the north-south and east-west, which is also a characteristic of the city of Kyoto.
Check out SNS!
The Kyoto Student Public Relations Department also disseminates information on SNS! We provide behind-the-scenes stories, daily activity reports, and the latest information. Please follow the PR staff Karen Koto!
＜Twitter＞ https://twitter.com/gakusei_kyoto
＜Facebook＞ https://www.facebook.com/gakuseikyoto
＜Instagram＞ https://instagram.com/gakusei_kyoto
workshop
The Kyoto Student Public Relations Department conducts training aimed at improving the skills of public relations staff.
Workshop 1 “To You Who Become a Student Writer: The Iroha of Interviews with Professionals”
Outline of the event
- Theme:
- “For You Who Become a Student Writer: The Iroha of Interviews with Professionals”
- Date:
- Thursday, May 20, 2021 19:00~21:00 [Finished]
- Place:
- Campus Plaza Kyoto, 4th Floor, Lecture Room 3
- Eligibility:
- Current students attending universities, graduate schools, and junior colleges in Kyoto Prefecture
- Format:
- Hybrid format of face-to-face and online [changed to online only]
- Lecturer:
- Yoshimoto Kogyo Official Writer Mr./Ms. Iwamoto Kazuko
< Profile>
In 1997, he joined Editorial Production, where he experienced the production of fan club newsletters and town information magazines. After leaving the company, he joined the editorial department of an entertainment information magazine in 2007 as a contractor, mainly in charge of articles on performing arts and theater.
He left the firm in 2017 and is now a freelancer. I am involved in articles for magazines and the web such as entertainment, city stories, and corporate in-house newsletters.
Event Report
On Thursday, May 20, we held an online event titled “For You Who Become a Student Writer: The Iroha of Interviews with Professionals.”
In the first icebreaker, a total of 27 people, including 16 members of the Kyoto Student Public Relations Department and 11 members of the general public, were divided into eight groups and deepened their interaction by introducing themselves and exchanging questions with an eye on interviews.
In the lecture, freelance writer Kazuko Iwamoto talked about her own experiences in “interviews, manuscripts” and “interviews,” which are indispensable for the activities of the Kyoto Student Public Relations Club.
The points for voice transcription and sentence improvement, essential items, and what I keep in mind when catching up on conversations are all contents that I want to try right away. The participants listening to the lecture while taking notes were clearly conveyed online.
After the lecture, the students were divided into groups again and practiced exchanges with an awareness of the interview! When we discussed what kind of changes occurred before and after the lecture, we realized that we learned a lot of things, such as how to set a theme and how to improve our listening attitude, and I felt that it was a very meaningful training session.
Workshop 2 “How to create an eye-catcher that attracts readers”
Outline of the event
- Theme:
- “How to make an eye-catcher that attracts readers”
- Date:
- Tuesday, August 24, 2021 14:00~16:00 [Finished]
- Format:
- Online (Zoom)
- Eligibility:
- Current students attending universities, graduate schools, and junior colleges in Kyoto Prefecture
- Lecturer:
- Mr./Ms. Matsumura (Photographer, Web Designer)
< Profile>
In 2007, he started working in web design and DTP design.
My hobby photos are in the camera magazine “Sha Girl Vol.3” (Look!). I started working as a photographer after posting in the photo girl’s room.
So far, he has expanded his activities to Kyoto in earnest after filming the web Seigensha magazine “Kyoto/Base: work & life in Kyoto” of Seigensha, a publishing house in Kyoto, and the book “Living in Ajiki Alley” published in May 2015.
Currently, he presides over the design and camera class “torico.camera”, where he lectures on “design and photography” at events and universities (guest lecturers at Ikebo Junior College), in addition to magazine serialization, book photography, and paper design.
Event Report
On Tuesday, August 24, we held an online event titled “How to Make an Eye-Catching Reader That Attracts Readers.”
First of all, Mr. Shina Matsumura, a photographer and web designer, talked about “photo selection” and “how to put text”, which are important in creating images.
He explained how to capture various cuts when taking photos, where to place text on top of images, and how the impression changes greatly depending on the font, using his own works. In addition to the main theme of “techniques related to image creation,” he also talked about “points to keep in mind when photographing people,” “angles to photograph food in a delicious and cute way,” and “tone and manners,” which are important in work, and I was able to learn points that will be useful not only in my student life but also in society.
During the work time, we created an image that was intended to be posted on Kotocare. Participants created images by placing text on photos taken in advance. The completed images were shared on Google Jamboard and the instructor gave advice to help us better understand the project.
By using a method unique to online, participants were able to work in a focused environment, and through interaction with the instructors, their sensibilities and creative motivation were stimulated, and the participants were able to spend a meaningful time.
Workshop 3 “It’s more fun to know how to look at it!
Outline of the event
- Theme:
- “It’s more fun to know how to look at it!
- Date:
- Friday, February 25, 2022 13:00~15:00 (Reception 12:45~) [Finished]
- Format:
- Online (Zoom)
- Eligibility:
- Current students attending universities, graduate schools, and junior colleges in Kyoto Prefecture (especially first- and second-year students)
- Lecturer:
- Mr./Ms. Yuri Ugaya
< Profile>
Lives in Kyoto, and is a garden designer, garden book author, and garden coordinator. Garden designer and producer. Author of seven books on Japanese gardens. He is the author of seven books, including “Kyoto’s Scenic Garden I Want to Visit at Least Once” and “Beautiful Moss Garden”. Graduated from Doshisha University, Faculty of Letters, Japan Cultural History.
Event Report
On Friday, February 25, we held an online event titled “It’s More Fun to Know How to Look at Gardens: The Charm of Kyoto’s Gardens.”
First, garden designer Yuri Ugaya talked about the themes expressed in the garden. The lecturer’s explanation with historical background, such as the choice of words that he keeps in mind when expressing beauty and the points that make viewing the garden more enjoyable if he keeps it in mind, was an opportunity to deepen his understanding of the city of Kyoto and its charms.
In addition, I learned that the gardens that I had been casually looking at until now also contain hidden messages and “tricks” for the viewers, such as the Sanson Stone, Ryumon Falls, Mt. Horai, Tsurushima, and Kamejima, and I heard frank comments from the participants that they found interesting.
After the lecture, the students used GoogleJamboard to come up with a sentence that they imagined posting on social networking sites (Twitter, Instagram). The content was to create a sentence to accompany the “favorite garden photo” prepared in advance by the participants. By setting “bad,” “beautiful,” “beautiful,” and “wonderful,” which we tend to use on a daily basis, as “NG words,” we were able to practice expanding the range of expression within a limited time.
By using the unique online method, we were able to work in a focused environment, and we also had a lot of time to talk about episodes from our visit to the garden and interact with the instructors, which made it a very meaningful time for the participants.
Recruitment of Public Relations Staff
The Kyoto Student Public Relations Club is looking for members to work with us!
The website “Kotokare”, which is planned, operated, and managed by students attending universities in Kyoto, will convey the charm of university life in Kyoto to junior high and high school students nationwide. Our mission is to make junior high and high school students want to go to university in Kyoto.
University students in Kyoto, why don’t you demonstrate your ideas, passion, and teamwork as the initiators of this project?
If you would like to join or visit the club, please contact us from the link below.
Entry Requirements
• Undergraduate, undergraduate, and graduate students who belong to a member school of the University Consortium Kyoto (*Regardless of grade) [Click here for a list of member schools]
•Those who can participate in activities at bases in Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City (*Transportation expenses will not be paid)
• Unless there is a compelling reason, you must be able to participate in activities at least once a month.
Such a student Mr./Ms. is waiting!
Inquiries
University Consortium Kyoto, Kyoto Student Public Relations Department Secretariat
TEL 075-353-9130 FAX 075-353-9101
〒600-8216 Kyoto-shi, Shimogyo-ku, Nishitoin-dori, Shiokoji, Shimo-ku, Kyoto, Campus Plaza Kyoto
* Reception hours: Tuesday ~ Saturday 9:00 ~ 17:00 (excluding year-end and New Year holidays)
