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Event 2023
(2023.12.11) TCU short-term international students participate in November Friendship Cafe
On November 30, five short-term international students from Tokyo Christian University and their teacher Rebecca Babirye participated in the Friendship Café, which became a meaningful opportunity for the students to interact with Inzai citizens before they return home in mid-December.
Valerie, a female student, gave a presentation on her Hmong roots, and Tiana, a native of Hawaii, gave a presentation on Hawaiian culture through the making of leis. Both presentations were very interesting and provided valuable learning opportunities for the participants. Please see the slides attached with their consent.
In addition, Mr. Masayasu Hayakawa, an instructor at our Japanese language class Ribbon, played the erhu to thank the international students who participated in the event despite their hectic schedules.
We wish all the international students, including those who could not join us on the day of the event, continued good health and academic success after returning to their home countries.
(2023.11.10) We opened a stall at the Inzai Furusato Industrial Festival
On Saturday, November 4, the Inzai Furusato Industrial Festival was held at the Aeon Mall in Chiba Newtown and the Nigiwai square in front of Kioroshi Station. We, Inzai International Friendship Association, opened a stall at the Nigiwai square to sell gyoza (dumplings) and beverage with the cooperation of our members.
Many people visited our stall. Some of them tasted so good that they came back for snother purchase. It made us happy that our dumplings were sold out by 3:00 p.m.
The festival started at 11:00 a.m. and ended with a fireworks display after 6:00 p.m. successfully with great number of visitors.
(2023.11.07) Support for "Bilingual Speech Contest" hosted by Inzai City Cultural Hall
On Sunday, September 24, the "Bilingual Speech Contest" was held. Fifteen participants, ranging from elementary school students to adults, competed in the first contest, with Japanese contestants speaking in English or Chinese, and foreign residents in Japanese under the theme of "A gift to the future, what I want to leave to Inzai - what is my role? In organizing this contest, we, IIFA, provided full cooperation from the preparatory stage as a co-sponsor at the request of the organizer, Inzai City Cultural Hall, by offering its knowledge on the operation and judging methods, as well as recommending judges. At the awards ceremony, following a review by Mr. Tsunehiro Kawakita, Vice Chairman of IIFA, Mr. Shoji Bando, Chairman presented the winners and other prize winners with certificates and commemorative gifts.
In the second part of the event, a Uyghur dancer, Aikte Halinul, who is studying at Ribbon, our Japanese Language class, performed an authentic Uyghur folk dance, and Masayasu Hayakawa, a Ribbon support staff member, played the erhu.
(2023.08.28) August Friendship Cafe Was Held
At the Friendship Cafe held on August 24, Ms. Chikako Kodera, an instructor of our intermediate Chinese class, gave a presentation titled "Exam Situation in China," in which about 20 participants learned about China's unique university entrance examination system and the reality of students taking entrance exams.
As in the Cafe of the previous month, high school students who applied for the Summer Volunteer Program of the Inzai City Citizen's Activity Support Center participated in this Cafe, and were happy to set up the venue and help reception of participants.
(2023.08.25) Pear Picking Tour for International Exchange
On August 19, under the scorching sun, our "Pear Picking Tour for International Exchange " was held for the second time following the last year.
This time, 52 people, including 19 foreign residents, participated in the event. As last year, with the cooperation of Yamaguchi Pear Orchard in Kawarako, Shiroi City, the participants not only enjoyed pear picking and a Q&A game on pear production, but had a chance to interact over a boxed lunch while enjoying freshly harvested pears.
Participants commented as follows;
"It was great to enjoy the fresh pears“, ”It was hot but fun. I would like to participate again if there is another opportunity”. “I enjoyed the Q&A game and chatting with the members in the same group”. “It was a great opportunity to experience various things at a low cost”, and so on.
Despite the extremely hot weather on the day, the event was well received and enjoyed by the participants, as commented above.
(2023.08.17) Books Presented to the Participants in the Overseas Study Program
On August 6, the Inzai City Junior High School Students' Overseas Study Program (English Academy Jump), which will be held for the first time in four years, held a convocation ceremony at the city hall, and Mr. Shoji Bando, Chairperson, and Mr. Tsunehiro Kawakita, Vice Chairperson, were invited as guests of honor. At the ceremony, we presented books to all participating students with the hope that they will be useful in interacting with local people. Chairman Mr.Bando's greeting is as follows.
Congratulations to all of you on your participation in the Overseas Study Program. I am sure that your hearts are beating with great anticipation and a little bit of anxiety.
We, the Inzai City International Friendship Association, are an organization that is engaged in various activities to help foreign residents and Japanese residents understand and respect each other's culture and to make Inzai City a better place to live for foreign residents as well.
Our English, Korean, and Chinese language classes are fun for people of your grandparents' generation to learn and improve their language skills, regardless of their age. Also, in the Japanese language classes nicknamed "Ribbon," many foreigners are working hard to learn Japanese and understand Japanese culture.
Both Mr. Kawakita here and I have worked abroad for a long time. We are very envious of those of you who were able to participate in overseas study programs during your junior high school years. We sincerely hope that this study abroad program will be the first step for you to improve your language skills and develop an international mindset.
With these expectations in mind, we are pleased to present each of you with a copy of the "Japan Marugoto Jiten" (Dictionary of Japan). This book explains the geography, history, and culture of Japan in English in an easy-to-understand manner. Please carry it in your travel bag and take it along with you on your training. We would be very happy if you could use this book to teach the local students about Japan and make many friends in the process.
Finally, I wish you a safe and successful study program. Thank you very much.
(2023.08.07) Our Members Participated in English Academy Hop & Step
This year's English Academy Hop & Step sponsored by the Inzai City Board of Education was held on July 21 and 24, respectively, and 17 of our members (21 in total) participated as volunteers, working with ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) to ensure the smooth operation of this program.
The third- and fourth-grade students in the city experienced the fun of communicating in English through games and other activities. On the 24th, fifth- and sixth-graders enjoyed exchanges with Myanmar elementary school students by introducing each other's culture through remote communication.
The Board of Education expressed its appreciation for the dedicated cooperation of the volunteers on both days.
(2023.06.05) Cross-Cultural Understanding Event at Motono Kindergarten
On Friday, June 2, three Ribbon students (Ms. Ying from Thailand, Mr. Andre from Brazil, and Ms. Tang from China) visited the 5-year-old class at Motono Kindergarten to talk about their home countries.
As Ribbon has never sent their students to a kindergarten as presenters for such a cross-cultural understanding event before, their staff and those presenters made every effort to speak in the way that the 5-year-olds will not feel boring.
Ying-san does not understand Japanese well as yet, but with the help of the Ribbon staff, she told the children what the colors of the national flag represents and taught them the leucraton (lantern floating in Thailand) song, which the children enjoyed singing along with her
Andre-san showed the children a map of Brazil, telling them about places and lands, and then answered their questions. To keep the children enjoying, he shared some movements with them, such as running and shouting, and played Brazilian games with them, ending with saying good-bye "ciao" to each other.
After teaching simple Chinese, Ms. Tang taught the children how to make dumplings using clay. The children, imitating her, placed the rolled clay on the flattened clay as dumpling skin and closed the skin with their fingers, creating delicious-looking clay dumplings. The teachers were also very interested in the way Ms. Tang closed the skin.
After the class, we asked the three Ribbon studenta what they thought, and they gave us the following comments with smiles on their faces.
"I only understand a little Japanese, but it was exciting and fun.”
“It was difficult but fun. It was a good memory.
“I didn't know how to handle the little kids, but I'm glad I was able to do it with the staff’s assistance.
(2023.06.02)Our Bulletin Hiroba 25rd Issue Published
We recently published the Hiroba 25rd. Please enjoy reading.
(2023.05.29) Inauguration of the "Kids IIFA"
We launched the "Kids IIFA", the Japanese Language program for the children with foreign backgrounds who live in Inzai and have difficulty in understanding Japanese.
The program offers the Saturday class and Sunday class. The Saturday class began on May 20th, and the Sunday class began on 21st respectively. From now on, each class will be held twice a month through the year except August.
Though the children and the volunteer teaching staff met together face to face for the first time on each of those initial days, thanks to the warm welcome by those teaching staff, the children all at once seemed to be at home and soon they enjoyed some game like the Janken (Rock-paper-scissors).
Then, the children were to practice to introduce themselves, which was the main activity of the first class. In this practice, the children wrote down in Japanese their name, home country, favorite subjects and foods, and what they like to do, etc. on self-introduction cards. The children were able to finish making the cards with the assistance of the teaching staff as needed.
Lastly, everyone who was involved in the class, including the teaching staff, introduced themselves, and that seems to have made them feel more familiar to each other.
We hope that the "Kids IIFA" will be not only just a language lesson but also become a place where the children can feel secured and make new friends.
With the support by the teaching staff and other volunteers, we are determined to work hard so that the children with foreign backgrounds will enjoy their time and have meaningful experiences in Japan.
(2023.05.22) The 23rd General Meeting Held
On May 20, the 23rd General Meeting was held at the Omori Machizukuri Kaikan. More than 20 members attended the general meeting, where the business report and settlement of accounts for FY2022, the appointment of officers, the business plan for FY2023, and the budget plan were discussed and all proposals were approved.
This year, we will make every effort to promote new activities such as "Kids IIFA," a Japanese language learning support activity for elementary school students with foreign roots. We will also aim to involve high school students and other younger generations in our activities. We ask for the continued understanding and support of the citizens.
(2023.02.01) “Inzai World Fest 2023" Held!
On January 28, our international exchange event, "Inzai World Fest 2023," was held at the Central Community Center (Chuo Kominkan) and was a great success with approximately 100 participants, including foreigners from China, Korea, the Philippines, Mongolia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and the United States.
The event opened with a performance by Inzai Yume Taiko drummers, who got the crowd going. Next, rice cakes were pounded, and the participants joined to experience pounding with the Yume-Daiko drummers' musical accompaniment and shouts of "yosho!
In addition, there were performances of Mongolian Matouqin and Hoomii songs, African dance by international students from Tokyo Christian University, and a chorus performance by the music club of Inba Meisei High School. For the finale, the Inzai Ondo Preservation Society sang Inzai Ondo, and everyone danced in a circle.
The participants, including children, enjoyed a pleasant time of international exchange.
