On July 13, 2026, the 2nd Sakeology Seminar in FY2026, “The Potential of Sake as a Cultural Mediator in International Collaborative Fieldwork: Practice in the Miyauchi-Settaya Area,” was held.
FURUTA Rino, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the International Exchange Center, Organization for Global Engagement, Cooperating Faculty Member of the Sakeology Center, gave a lecture on her research.
In the seminar, Dr. Furuta analyzed a fieldwork program conducted at sake breweries and other sites in the Miyauchi-Settaya area of Nagaoka City, in which both international and Japanese students participated, using Deardorff’s Pyramid Model of Intercultural Competence.
The analysis revealed improvements in intercultural competence across all stages of the model, including attitudes, knowledge, skills, and internal and external outcomes. Participants deepened their understanding of local culture through sake and cultivated their intercultural competence through the fieldwork.

The 3rd Sakeology Seminar in FY2026 is scheduled for September 2026.
*The Sakeology Seminar is open to the faculty members and staff of Niigata University.