Apr.'18 － Mar.'19
Published by Kagoshima International AssociationSouth Wing
© K. P. V. B.

Seminars on International Understanding by Foreign Lecturers
This fiscal year, Kagoshima International Association (KIA) organised
four workshops on Vietnam, Indonesia, Hungary and Brazil to foster
international understanding. International students studying in local
universities and foreign residents in Kagoshima led the workshops.
The workshops on Vietnam and Indonesia were both held over threesessions. Participants learned about the country’s language and culture in
Learning the Vietnamese language

the first two sessions, and cooked local food in the third. Unfortunately thethird session on Vietnam was cancelled due to typhoon.
Remarks from participants include “although it was a country I have no
relation to, this seminar allowed me to come in contact with the culture andit was interesting”, “the language is difficult, but I felt that I can become
familiar with it quickly”, and “the teacher’s Japanese is very good”.
We believe that the participants are now better acquainted withinternational students in the prefecture and the Vietnamese and Indonesian

Cooking Indonesian foodcultures.
At the seminar on Hungarian culture, Kagoshima’s sole Hungarian
resident talked about the surprising similarities between Hungary andKagoshima. The Brazil cultural seminar was held in commemoration of the105th anniversary of the founding of the Brazil Kagoshima Kenjinkai
association. Two government-funded scholarship students at Kagoshima
University spoke about the immigrants and indigenous peoples, andlegends of Brazil (of how the Amazon River came to be). Participants also

Seminar on Brazilian culture

experienced playing a nose flute.
At the seminars, participants were deeply interested and asked manyquestions. Comments include “I learned that it is very important to learn
about foreign cultures”, and “with a quiz and segment about legends, it wasa productive time that passed very quickly”.
We hope such seminars will serve as a platform for foreign and local
residents to gain a deeper understanding of one another and theirrespective cultures, so they may build a relationship of mutual cooperation

Seminar on Hungarian culturein their daily lives.

1Regional International Exchange Promotion ProgrammeThis initiative aims to stimulate interest in international exchange
through the setting up of international exchange booths at local
festivals with the cooperation of foreign residents and international
exchange organisations. This fiscal year, KIA participated in the MBC
Summer Festival in Kagoshima City and the Marugoto Ijuin Festival inHioki City.
At the MBC Summer Festival held on the 25th and 26th of July 2018,
At MBC Summer Festival

visitors to the booth enjoyed activities such as a stamp rally ofgreetings around the world, writing names in Korean, Chinese origami craft, and playing with Singapore-themedstamps. For the stamp rally, Coordinators for International Relations, international students and other foreignresidents taught children to say “hello” and “thank you” in 6 different languages including Indonesian, Portuguese andEnglish before they stamped the relevant greetings in a booklet.
We believe it was a good opportunity for the residents of Kagoshima to get to know different cultures.

Alumni of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and Foreign Students as Teachers
This school visit programme is jointly organised by KIA, theSupporting Organisation of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers(JOCV) in Kagoshima, and the JOCV Kagoshima Alumni Association.
Returnee JOCVs and international students are dispatched to around40 elementary, junior high, and special needs schools every year.
This programme aims to educate students on international
cooperation and cross-cultural understanding through talks by alumni
At Kiyomizu Elementary School, Minamikyushu City

JOCVs about their work overseas and interacting with foreign people.

Comments from the children include “I was interested in the work of JOCVs, and the talk made me moredetermined to become one when I grow up so I can help people overseas”, and “I enjoyed learning about a different
culture through quizzes and games”.
It appears that hearing for themselves the experiences of JOCVs and international students not only instils inchildren an interest in foreign countries, but also serves as a catalyst for them to reflect on themselves and think
about their dreams and goals.

Let’s Talk About the World in Kagoshima – The 24th Japanese Speech Contest for Foreigners
Out of the 38 contestants from 12 countries/regions who took part in
the preliminary round, 10 foreign residents from 7 countries wereselected to participate in the finals held on 26 January. The winner wasMs Nurulhuda binti Shafiee, Malaysian Coordinator for International
Relations at Hioki City with her speech “Aramaa”.
Through highlighting the word “alamak/aramaa” that has the same
Front row: participants; back row: judges

meaning and pronunciation in the Malay and Japanese languages, Ms

Nurulhuda spoke of the importance of understanding and respecting one another’s culture and language. Her
humorous speech coupled with animated gestures captivated the audience of 340 people.
The confidence with which participants talked about their experiences and thoughts in a newly learnt language isevidence of their hard work in Japan so far, and listeners were enthralled by their speeches. We hope to continue
providing opportunities for the citizens of Kagoshima to interact with people of different nationalities and cultures.
2Multiculturalism Project (Workshop on Supporting Foreigners in Times of Disaster)On 3 October 2018, a workshop was held for residents and officials tothink about the issues foreigners face in times of disaster and the support
the community can provide them. The lecturer was from Kumamoto
International Foundation, and 47 people attended the workshop.
During the first half of the workshop, the lecturer talked about the kindof support required by foreign people based on firsthand experience ofPresenting their opinions

the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. In the latter half, 3 foreign residents inKagoshima talked about the differences in awareness of disaster prevention between their home country and Japan,
as well as their worries and fears in the event of a natural disaster.
Feedback from participants include “I was surprised to learn that the term ‘給水 (kyūsūi, meaning “water provision”)’
is not easily understood. I will endeavour to use easy Japanese from now on,” and “it was good to hear the candid
opinions of foreign people on disaster preparedness”. We hope this project will lead to greater multicultural
integration in the region.

Japanese Language and Culture ClassThe Japanese Language and Culture Class was held from May 2018
to February 2019 to teach foreigners living in Kagoshima about
Japanese customs and useful everyday phrases. The Wednesday
afternoon and Thursday evening classes each met 30 times for a
combined total of 60 sessions.
Extra-curricular Japanese cultural experience

This fiscal year, activities include learning practical phrases for hospital

visits and schools, and introducing to the class their home country during lessons. The classes enabled students tolearn about one another’s countries and exchange opinions on cultural similarities and differences.
At the end of each term, using Japanese words that they have learnt, they reflected on the past term and described
the name and recipe of the home-cooked local dish that they had brought to the potluck party.
Students commented that they “want to convey their thoughts and feelings in Japanese”. They showed great
enthusiasm in learning the Japanese language, and gave one another encouragement and help. Through this class,they built friendships that transcend nationality, gender, age and culture.

Japanese Language Chat RoomThe Japanese Language Chat Room, for foreigners with a grasp ofconversational Japanese to network with one another and improve theirJapanese, was held this fiscal year for a total of 20 sessions.
This year, guest speakers from the Kagoshima Meteorological Office andthe Kagoshima Chuo Police Station were invited to provide topics useful toliving in Japan and Kagoshima such as disaster prevention measures forLearning about festivals

volcanic eruptions of Mt Sakujirama and handling lost and foundbelongings.

Participants also enjoyed experiencing weaving using foot looms and learning about the Meiji Restoration,
Kagoshima’s culture including its traditional festivals.
Comments from participants include “I was motivated to learn more about Kagoshima’s history and culture”, “Ienjoyed making new friends”, “I want to work harder to improve my spoken Japanese”.
We hope that this chat room will provide participants with the opportunity to make new friends and fuel their desireto learn Japanese.
3Kagoshima Global KIZUNA Assembly
The Kagoshima Global KIZUNA Assembly was held in Kagoshima City
over 2 days on the 1st and 2nd of November. In addition to Kenjinkai
associations from around Japan, 20 Kenjinkai associations from abroad
also took part in this gathering. The event was held on the 150th
anniversary of the Meiji Restoration with the aims of enhancing ournetwork with Kenjinkai associations worldwide so we may hand theseinternational connections down to future generations, and discovering

Welcome reception

Kagoshima-born talents that play an active role on the global stage and expanding this network of people. TheAssembly kicked off the Kagoshima KIZUNA Project, which was initiated with the objectives of nurturing global
talents that will define our future and promoting active economic exchange on a global scale.
This was the first such gathering where people with ties to Kagoshima came together from all over the world. KIA
was a part of the Assembly’s executive committee which mainly comprised members of Kagoshima Chamber
Commerce and Industry, and aided in its operations. Through various programmes, participants were able to deepen
their ties with one another as well as rediscover the wonders of Kagoshima.

Services at the International Exchange Plaza
Main services
・Event bulletin board
・Rental of flags, ethnic costumes, map, and UNICEF videos
・Foreign language newspapers, books and magazines for browsing
・Consultation for foreign residents
・Chinese Language Lunchtime Conversation（Tue;12:00～13:00）
・Korean Language Lunchtime Conversation（Wed;12:30～13:30）
We also handle queries on international exchange matters,
registration of homestay host family and volunteer interpreters,
etc. All personal information will be kept confidential, so do
not hesitate to stop by if you have any enquiries.
Opening hours: Tue – Sun; 9:00 – 17:00
Closed on Mondays (if Monday is a public holiday, the office will be closed on Tuesday) and during the New Yearholiday (29 Dec – 3 Jan).
To contact us about the International Exchange Plaza or South Wing publication,
Kagoshima International Association
Kagoshima Prefectural Citizens Exchange Center 1F, 14-50 Yamashita-cho, Kagoshima City, Japan 892-0816
TEL:

099-221-6620

E-mail:kia@kiaweb.or.jp

FAX:099-221-6643

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Kagoshima.Intl.Assoc/

URL:

https://www.kiaweb.or.jp★We have revamped our website.

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