Four Japanese students from Ehime University presented “Hello From Japan” to ULM students as a way to discuss their experiences in America, and compare Louisiana and Japanese culture.

According to Yae Ozaki, an Ehime University student, they travelled 4,500 miles to Monroe two weeks ago to experience southern style.

Ozaki’s fellow classmate, Azusa Doi, compared beverages in Ehime and Louisiana.

Doi said that coke in Louisiana is the equivalent to orange juice in terms of popularity in Japan.

Orange juice, also called pom juice, is 100 percent pure orange juice in Japan.

Doi said the product is so popular that there are pom juice faucets in public places in Japan.

“I found it interesting how well-known Ehime, Japan, is for its orange produce,” said Bryson Belaire, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major.

Then Ozaki took over the stage and gave differences between nature in Louisiana and Ehime.

She shared the similarities between the Mississippi River and the Seto Inland Sea. Ozaki said bodies of water are similar because they both helped develop the area surrounding them.

Ehime is famous for the Shimanami Coastal Highway, a fifty-mile bridge that is open to cars, pedestrians and cyclists. Ozaki said that this year the Shimanami Bridge Race will host the International Cyclist.

Daiki Yasui, from Ehime University, said that Japan ranked second in the world behind America for their agriculture and aqua imports.

After the presentation, ULM students were invited to a reception to mingle with the Ehime students.

Jathon Thompson, a junior education major, shared his experience as an American foreign exchange student in Japan.

“My experience in Japan made me a more well-rounded person,” Thompson said.