Among Europeans, the knowledge of Japanese culture is often limited to a few elements, notably manga, sushi and martial arts. Most often, our perception of Japan is incomplete or even distorted by our western views. Japan therefore has a certain mysterious vibe of secrets that are still to be explored.
It was to discover more about Japan and to offer a framework for exchange of passion for this faraway country that the PolyJapan commission was born. This commission of AGEPoly, located at EPFL, is composed of students who wish to use their time to promote their passion for Japan. In order to attain this goal, we make many activities to share our knowledge and experience with an audience of both novices and enthusiasts, but especially wish to engage members of the Lausanne campus (EPFL and UNIL, approximately 20’000 people).
Since its beginnings, the commission regularly organizes screenings of Japanese animated series and movies, in original version, with subtitles. The frequency of these screenings has increased over time, and now they occur on a weekly bases. Thanks to these sessions, many students were initiated to numerous aspects of Japanese culture. With the desire to offer other approaches, Japanese classes at various levels have been set up amid increasing interest among campus students. For the tastes of our visitors, PolyJapan offers some Japanese catering during its various activities and events that occur on campus.
Gaining in magnitude over the years, PolyJapan created a two-day long event aimed at a wider audience of visitors from Switzerland and from abroad: Japan Impact. It is a convention that rallies different facets of Japanese culture for a large public and allows a discovery of Japan from many angles.