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International Festival 2018
－Let's open doors to the world, let's meet friends from all over the world.－
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On November 18, 2018, the International Festival was held for the 19th time, at International Conference Center Hiroshima, the Peace Boulevard green belt, and other venues.
Seventy organizations, including companies and civic groups that conduct international exchange and cooperation activities in Hiroshima City and surrounding areas, held 38 varied events on themes such as intercultural understanding, the global environment, multicultural coexistence, and Japanese cultural experiences.
A total of 12,800 people came to the events.
At the opening ceremony, there was a calligraphy performance by students from the Calligraphy Department in the Faculty of Letters at Yasuda Women's University.
They powerfully wrote the catch copy of this year's International Festival, 'Let's open doors to the world', and there was great applause from the visitors for the completed piece of work.
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Calligraphy performance
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Talk show: Sergio Echigo talks about nikkeijin (people of Japanese ancestry) and soccer
The outspoken and humorous soccer commentator, Sergio Echigo, was invited as guest speaker.
He talked about the nikkei community in Brazil, the differences in culture and lifestyle between Japan and Brazil, and international exchange through sports, among other things.
The audience often laughed at his humorous comments, and listened intently until the end as told stories that they normally would not hear.
There were comments from the audience such as "I learned about cultural exchange through sports, the importance of making an international contribution, and Brazilian culture," and "I felt Sergio's deep affection for Japan."
Explanations of international exchange and cooperation activities
At the activity explanation section for civic groups and others, 21 organizations set up booths, where they explained their respective international exchange and cooperation activities.
Apart from civic groups, there were also booths set up by public bodies, NGOs, university students, companies and more, where visitors could hear about the current situation in countries receiving support, try on national costumes, try drawing water by themselves, and other fun exchange activities.
There was also an international exchange and cooperation report session by youth and university students and a foreign language discussion session.
Overseas and Japanese culture introduction and experience
In terms of overseas culture experience, there were sections on designing Scottish quilts, tying Celtic knots, Chinese paper cutouts, and Chinese-style braided cords.
For Japanese cultural experiences, there were sections on trying on kimonos, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, and more.
Foreign and Japanese visitors showed great interest in other cultures.
World cuisine and folk art bazaar
At the Peace Boulevard green belt on the south side of International Conference Center Hiroshima, there was an area called "Hiroshima International Village － Food Stalls of the World", where 18 organizations were selling various foods from around the world.
At the International Cooperation Bazaar venue, twelve organizations were selling folk art and other articles from various countries.
There were many other sections, including "the 50 Cities-50 Traces" photo exhibition organized by Hiroshima City's sister city Hanover, which showed photos of the tracks left in
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asphalt in fifty cities around the world;
a presentation session by exchange students;
the "Earth Forum", where people of all ages could enjoy intercultural experiences;
a section where visitors could learn about Hiroshima's sister and friendship cities while doing craftwork;
an outdoor stage with performances of dances and music from all over the world;
a section where visitors could donate foreign currency coins to support children in developing nations;
as well as a quiz rally where visitors could receive a present by answering quiz questions at various event venues.
Each venue was bustling with people, and visitors deepened their understanding of international exchange and cooperation.
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Outdoor stage
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Many residents and international students participated in this event as volunteer staff, and enjoyed the event together as they were working.
The Japanese and foreign people who participated spent the day experiencing the cultures of the world.
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| (International Relations & Cooperate Division) |
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