Live from Japan with our Year 3 students

At Institut Paul Bocuse, we export worldwide our teaching expertise and knowledge of international management in the hospitality, food service and culinary arts professions. With 1,200 students representing 60 different nationalities enrolled across our 10 campus locations, we are able to develop the international dimension of our qualifications as well as the employability of our students.

The international dimension is deeply rooted in the DNA of our school. We actively encourage our students to travel across the globe to develop their diversity and create their own individual style. They are offered a range of overseas opportunities to achieve this, including university exchanges, periods spent on one of our campuses located abroad or international business placements.

In particular, students are able to follow either a part or all of their programme in unfamiliar countries such as Japan, Russia or Peru. This is the case for Diana and Thibaut, who chose the specialisation in Japanese Cooking & Culture on year 3 of the Bachelor’s in International Culinary Arts Management. Currently on Hokkaido Island, they talked to us about their life on the other side of the world and the teaching continuity of their programme.

What is your routine like?

Fortunately, our classes in Japan haven’t stopped, so we’ve been able to continue benefitting from the teaching. A typical week involves Japanese cooking classes and also classes on Japanese culture (flower arranging, the art of tea, Karate, etc.). We have a pretty full week, especially since the Capstone Project (final year group project) and our Japanese language classes take up a large part of our free time. – Thibaut

How do you feel about the current situation?

Personally, I think the COVID-19 crisis has been managed well in Japan. Measures such as travel tracking, temperature controls and the use of masks have already been taken in the airports. However, our day-to-day life hasn’t been affected. We’re able to go to school, go shopping and look around the boutiques as long as we don’t go beyond the recommended zone. – Diana

What are your projects? Has the current context changed your plans in any way?

At the end of the course in August, I’d like to do my final placement in Singapore and then start a Master’s programme the following year. This pandemic has taught me not to take things for granted and to be grateful for what I’ve got. – Diana

The situation has meant I’ve had to change some of my projects, but it’s also allowed me to think differently about my future and therefore review certain short-term priorities and projects. At the moment I’m looking into doing another year at Institut Paul Bocuse or in Japan until the situation has changed. In the long term, I plan to gain experience in various restaurants overseas before opening my own establishment somewhere in the world. – Thibaut

A rewarding experience that adds to the personal development of our students and opens the doors to a promising future, whether in France or overseas.