English Edition No.93 2024.3
1

New Initiatives to Create a Multicultural Kanazawa

The Kanazawa Child-Raising Support Handbook for Foreign Residents
At KIEF, we dispatch volunteer interpreters to support communication
between foreign nationals and public health nurses during infant healthcheck-ups and baby visits conducted by the Kanazawa Welfare andHealth Centre. To support foreign nationals who give birth to and/or raisechildren in Kanazawa City even further, we made the “Kanazawa
Child-Raising Support Handbook for Foreign Residents”. The guide,
which is written in 3 different languages (English, Chinese and easyJapanese), focuses on the maternal and child health services andsystems available in Kanazawa City. It was created in collaboration withvolunteer interpreters and foreign mothers who have given birth or raised
children in Kanazawa City or in Japan in the past. In addition to physicalcopies, the guidebook can also be downloaded from KIEF’s website.
Please take a look!

A Guide to Living in Kanazawa – Easy Japanese Version
As of 1 January, 7,150 foreign residents were reported to be livingin Kanazawa. This number is only increasing. At KIEF, we created“You Too Are a Citizen of Kanazawa - A Guide to Living inKanazawa”; a handbook containing all the essential information forforeign residents moving to Kanazawa. It is available in 6 different
languages.
However, the countries people move to Kanazawa from havebecome more diverse over the years, meaning the current
multilanguage versions are no longer enough. For this reason, wehave created an “Easy Japanese” version of the guide. “EasyJapanese” (Japanese with kanji readings and rephrasing of complex
linguistic terms) is becoming more widely used to make it easier forJapanese learners to understand texts written in Japanese.
We used Japanese that people who have studied for around 300
hours should be able to understand. There are both physical anddigital copies available, so please check it out!

1

Important Information

2

Japanese Language Plaza for Children with Foreign Roots
Since 2022, volunteers at KIEF have been providing extra-curricular Japanese language learning

support to children with foreign roots living in Kanazawa. Children in primary school to high school canreceive one-to-one classes, where they can learn basic Japanese, how to read and write kanji
characters, and vocabulary necessary for school life. These classes are usually held on the second
floor of Rifare, but some students take part online. If you know any eligible children, please tell them
about our Children’s Japanese Language Plaza.

N umb er o f S t ude nt s / V olunt e e r sYear

Number of Students – School Year (Nationality)

2021(Trial)

Number of Volunteers

2 – Elementary Second Year Student (The Philippines), Pre-High School Student (The Philippines)

42022

4 – Elementary First Year Student (Australia), Middle School First Year Student (China), Middle School
Second Year Student (Taiwan), High School Student (The Philippines)

132023

9 – Elementary Fourth Year Student (Russia), Elementary Fifth Year Student (China), Middle School
Second Year Student (China), Middle School Second Year Student (Nepal), Middle School Third Year
Student (Taiwan), Middle School Third Year Student (The Philippines), High School First Year Student(Myanmar), High School Student (Nepal), High School Student (The Philippines)

26

KIEF Children’s Japanese Language Plaza – Winter GatheringLet’s Learn Russian

Lunch Together

Playing a GameOn Sunday 17 December, thenine children studying at theChildren’s Japanese LanguagePlaza, their families and 12
volunteers gathered for lunch,games and a language lesson. The
volunteers learned greetings fromthe children’s first languages. The
children seized the chance tobecome teachers and made an
impressive
efforttoexplain
everything in Japanese. This role
reversal gave the volunteers a new
appreciation of their students,
providing insight into how difficult it
is to learn a foreign language.

Some Words from Our Students
First Year High School Student from Myanmar

YON MYAT NOE

I study theJapanese language
and the contents ofmy school textbookswith the volunteers atKIEF. I mainly study
kanji, vocabulary andspeaking Japanese.
The Children’s Japanese Language Plaza is reallyinteresting and fun. The volunteers are always
kind and patiently teach me in a way that is very
easy to understand.

Events by Intern atio n al Exchan g e G roups

Kanazawa Fair Trade Festival 2024 / Fair Trade Town Kanazawa Promotion Committee

Date: Saturday, May 11st Place: In front of Kanazawa City Hall

Details: Sale of fair trade products in collaboration with local production for local consumption and local community groups.
Contact: Fair Trade Town Kanazawa Promotion Committee, Kanasaki TEL: 090-3870-9782 E-mail: kaerudesign2021@gmail.com

Hyakumangoku Odorinagashi / Ishikawa Inter-human Network

Date: Saturday, June 1st 18:00 - 20:00 Place: From Minami-machi to Kata-machi

Details: Take part in the Hyakumangoku Odorinagashi (festival parade dances) on the evening of the Kanazawa Hyakumangoku
Festival (Deadline: Saturday, May 25th)
Contact: Ishikawa International Exchange Lounge, Suzuki or Suketa TEL: 076-221-9901 E-mail: iilounge@road.ocn.ne.jp

Contact Information

Kanazawa International Exchange FoundationTo Kanaiwa

Rifare 2F, 1-5-3 Honmachi, Kanazawa-shi,
920-0853

Phone（076）220-2522
F A X（076）220-2527
URL : https://www.kief.jp
E-mail : kief@kief.jp

2waazaKan tation
STo Naruwa

ANA CROWNE PLAZA hotel
Hotel Nikko
To Sanja★ KIEF (Rifare 2F)
To Musashi