Six CQU students are excited about the opportunity to live in Japan for 3 months as part of the University Mobility in the Asia Pacific (UMAP) program.

The federal government-funded program will enable them to boost their language skills, while experiencing local customs and the lifestyle of the city of Komatsu.

Japan bound are (from front) Amber Plahn, Jemima Jefferis, Elizabeth Evans, Ellen Ronalds and Tegan Jackson

Komatsu is a regional Japanese city with a population around 110,000, about 300km west of Tokyo.

CQU Program Leader for the Bachelor of Learning Management (Japanese), Takahiro Yokoyama said that 4 of the students - studying the BLM (Japanese) - would become teacher assistants at a Komatsu primary school.

The other 2 students - studying a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts/Business respectively - would receive intensive familiarisation so they could help as tourist guides for the local Buddist temple.

All the students would live with homestay families and be hosted at various times by the local high school and university.

The students - all female - will leave for Japan at the end of September and return just before Christmas Day. They are Kate Giamarelos, Elizabeth Evans, Ellen Ronalds, Amber Plahn, Jemima Jefferis and Tegan Jackson.

With Takahiro Yokoyama (centre) are, from left, Tegan Jackson, Ellen Ronalds, Elizabeth Evans, Jemima Jefferis and Amber Plahn