From 10th to 15th September of 2023 the 9th Balkan Summer Camp for Japanese language and culture successfully took place in Çanakkale, Turkey. After eight years of the Balkan camp being held in Bulgaria, Sofia University passes the torch for the first time to the Japanese Studies in Turkey. The host town Çanakkale warmly welcomed their colleagues and guests from Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. The camp schedule under the supervision of prof. Tolga Özşen, the department and their team of volunteers offered a variety of activities with guest lecturers and workshops for tea ceremony and calligraphy. The participants in the camp had the opportunity to take high-level classes as well as get to know a slice of the Turkish traditions and history. Of course, time for cultural exchange and fun activities under the warm sun of the sea city was left as well. The good mood and enthusiasm for new knowledge didn’t leave for a second the Bulgarian team, led by dr. Tsvetomira Ivanova and dr. Martin Dimitrov, including one PhD student and four Bachelor program students. Somewhere between the history day trip around Gallipoli peninsula, the campus and library visit and the round table discussion on the last day, every team left for their home countries in higher spirits and new friends from all over Europe. Separating after five incredible days together was hard, but everyone left with a tinge of hope and expectation of the next meetings and academic challenges.
