The Japan Foundation is a non-profit institution owned by the Japanese government which is specifically dedicated to international cultural exchange activities. This institution seeks to create various activities and provide facilities and information so that individuals can interact with each other with the aim of deepening mutual understanding between Japanese society and other countries through arts and cultural exchange activities, education and learning Japanese in abroad, and Japanese studies abroad, and also collect the material and then distribute it. Even though it is based in Tokyo, The Japan Foundation already has 24 branch offices spread throughout the world. One of them is in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Japan Foundation Jakarta is tasked with carrying out activities initiated by the head office, contributing to Japanese and Indonesian cultural exchange activities, supporting and collaborating with external organizations, conducting research, and providing information related to all cultural exchange activities carried out by The Japan Foundation.

In order to provide support and strengthen collaboration, the Japan Foundation (JF) Jakarta visited the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, Gadjah Mada University on Friday 26th of January 2024 at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. The visit from the Japan Foundation (JF) Jakarta was represented by Deputy Mr. Yamazaki Takaya and Mrs. Kadoi Minako from the division of Japan Language Education. On this occasion, a meeting was held to discuss the cooperation that has existed for approximately 35 years since the establishment of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Science, Gadjah Mada University in 1989. Apart from that, there were several important things that were also discussed, including making plans regarding future cooperation, discussing the development of Japanese science and the challenges faced in the current and future eras. It is hoped that this meeting will have a positive impact on the cooperative relationship between the two organizations in the future. In this way, the goals of both the Japan Foundation (JF) and the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, especially in the field of education, can be carried out well.

An Nuur Khairune Nisa, Delfyan Intan Nurmala Fadin, and Putrisari Oktaviani Gustiarti have written a journal entitled “Experiencing Museum: Eksplorasi Digital Free Tourism di Museum Ullen Sentalu, Yogyakarta,” which explores the concept of Digital Free Tourism (DFT) in the context of experiencing a museum at Ullen Sentalu. The study aims to analyze the implementation of the DFT concept at the Ullen Sentalu Museum in Yogyakarta and its implications for the museum tourism experience. This research employs a qualitative method with an exploratory study approach conducted through data collection methods, including observation, in-depth interviews, and literature review gathered from journals, books, articles, and the Ullen Sentalu Museum’s website.

The findings of this research reveal that the Ullen Sentalu Museum has successfully applied the DFT concept by controlling the on-site technology used during museum tours to protect the collection’s security and create a more profound museum experience, enhancing visitors’ curiosity and well-being. Ullen Sentalu also does not reject digital utilization, instead, they create an innovation by optimizing digital content during pre-site and post-site stages to reflect their commitment to staying relevant in the digital era while preserving traditional values in DFT.

This journal originated from the final assignment of the Tourism Article Writing course conducted at the end of 2023. At the beginning of the semester, the authors sought an interesting issue amid the current development of digital technology. Besides its positive impacts, the massive development of digital technology can also have negative impacts on the tourism sector, giving rise to a new theory known as Digital Free Tourism. Interestingly, this concept has already been implemented around us, as exemplified by the Ullen Sentalu Museum. Due to the limited studies on DFT in Indonesia, especially in the context of museums, they decided to explore DFT at the Ullen Sentalu Museum and its connection to “experiencing museum”. They found that DFT is closely related to the tourist experience and enhances curiosity and well-being. Last, An Nuur stated that this topic is undoubtedly intriguing to delve deeper into, as tourism without digital elements actually adds meaning to tourism itself.

The journal can be accessed through: jurnal.ugm.ac.id/tourism_pariwisata/article/download/92457/3818

“A literature alumni can be a banker?!”

Tashia Maharani Tarmizi, an alumni of the English Department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, who also had the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program at the University of York, has successfully embarked on her career in the banking industry!

Currently, Tashia works at Bank Central Asia, the top-ranked private bank in Asia, as a management trainee under the Management Development Program (MDP). In brief, MDP itself is a one year program created by BCA to train and nurture future leaders in the banking industry through comprehensive in-class lessons and on-the-job training experiences. In one year, trainees will undergo various rotations in different divisions within the company, such as operations, audit, sales and marketing, and credit analysis.

Her experience at BCA made her realize that working in a bank is not as boring as what many people say. During her first rotation, Tashia had the opportunity to learn about how the banking business process goes at one of BCA’s main branches. Not only did she gain practical work experience, she was also trained to think like a banker, with problem solving skills that offer the best solutions to challenges faced by stakeholders. This experience sharpened her knowledge of business industry and also honed her soft skills such as assertive communication, problem solving, and critical thinking.

One thing that she highlights about the program is its highly competitive recruitmnet process. But, she really appreciates how BCA conducts interviews that prioritize two-way communication. This step is genuinely used to understand the candidates in detail, including their background, motivations, personal goals, etc. Additionally, BCA focuses on a strong emphasis on human resource development, hence continuous learning through coaching, in-class lessons, and on-the-job training are integral parts that will be experienced by every candidate.

However, the journey that she had to take (and currently taking, and will take) is not all rainbows and butterflies. Her education background in literature requires her to study even harder, especially in the quantitative realm. Nevertheless, she believes that literature and humanities students have been accustomed to analytical and critical thinking, as well as viewing problems from various persepctives, which adds value to excel in this program and environment. Another challaange she faced was the shift in the working system from WFH (Work from Home) to WFO (Work from Office). As a person accustomed to the WFH system, this gave her another different experience. However, she is beyond grateful for it, as it brought her closer to her friends and colleagues.

One intriguing aspect of Tashia Maharani is that the thought of becoming a banker never crossed her mind. Previously, she worked as a full time entrepreneur at home, building a small business that aligned with her passion. Most people asked her why she gave up on spearheading her business in exchange to going back to corporate life. Her answer is pretty simple, she still has a strong passion and desire to learn. Whether she ends up as a banker or an entrepreneur, she is aware that there is so much she does not know about in this world. Tashia chose MDP because she believes that this program not only teaches how to be a leader but also allows her to meet people from different backgrounds and industries. Moreover, this job brings her closer to various aspects such as economics, trade, investment, etc, which are closely related to people’s daily lives.

In conclusion, Tashia emphasized that the MDP program and the banking industry, in general, is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, most of which are not direclty related to their current jobs. Tashia says, “Just because you come from a certain major, it does not mean that you cannot have a career in the banking industry. The most important thing is to have leadership and interpersonal skills, which can be honed through various activities such as organizations, student exchanges, internships, as well as the ability to analyze and think critically, which will guide you through various challenges.”

Photo 1: Tashia when she was attending the University of York as a student exchange through IISMA program. 

Photo 2: She had an amazing opportunity to visit the Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, Ireland and International Maritime Organization in London.

The Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage is a triennial scientific meeting that was originally organised in Manila, Philippines by the Asian Academy for Heritage Management. The 2023 Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage will be held in Gwangju, South Korea, which is the 5th conference since it was first held in 2011. Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage 2023 with the theme “The Ocean Decade Challenges and the Maritime Cultural Heritage of Asia -Pacific” has a discussion panel session related to hot issues regarding the study of maritime heritage and underwater archaeology within the Asia-Pacific.

At this year’s conference, there were 26 panel sessions with researchers, academics and students from 40 countries with 300 participants presenting their research in maritime studies and underwater archaeological heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. Not only presenting, the researchers also published their research in the conference proceedings. In participating in the Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage 2023, a Master student of the Department of Archaeology (Muslim Dimas Khoiru Dhony) was awarded as The Best Student Paper with a paper entitled Underwater Archaeological Remains in Matano Lake, South of Sulawesi, Indonesia: Evidence of Iron Age Civilisation in session 15 on The Archaeology of Submerged Landscapes and Inland Waters. The paper is the result of research conducted by the National Archaeological Research Centre (now BRIN) for 6 years in collaboration with researchers who focus on each field to examine the development of the Iron Age in Lake Matano. The activity is also an effort to carry out Sustainable Development Programs (SDGs) such as SDG 4 (Quality Education) Culture, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) Culture, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) Cultural Heritage, and Community and Disaster Risk Reduction.