On Saturday, August 29, 2026, a group from Akashi College, Japan, began their cultural visit series in Central Java by exploring Borobudur Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest Buddhist temple in the world. This visit served as the opening agenda before the group continued their journey to Mangkunegaran Palace in Solo and Lawang Sewu in Semarang the following day.
The group, comprising Adriana Sensei and Emoto Sensei, both architecture lecturers at Akashi College, together with 11 of their students, was joined by 5 students from the Applied Foreign Languages Study Program, Vocational School, Universitas Diponegoro, who took part in the visit. This collaboration forms part of the ongoing cultural exchange and academic partnership between Undip and Akashi College.
Bringing their architectural expertise to the visit, Adriana Sensei and Emoto Sensei offered a distinctive scholarly perspective in observing the grandeur of Borobudur Temple’s structure. The group studied the reliefs depicting Buddhist teachings and the life of society during the ancient Mataram Kingdom, and observed firsthand the construction technique of the temple, built without cement yet still standing strong for over a thousand years.
The presence of Undip’s Applied Foreign Languages students opened space for direct interaction between students from both countries, strengthening cross-language communication practice alongside cultural exchange in the field. The moment offered a valuable opportunity for both sides to learn from one another, both in terms of architectural richness and cultural diversity.
This visit to Borobudur Temple marked a memorable start to Akashi College’s series of cultural visits in Central Java, while further strengthening the relationship between Akashi National College of Technology and Undip’s Applied Foreign Languages Study Program in the fields of architecture, language, and international cultural exchange.<>