English Edition No.91 2023
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Happy 2023! Another exciting year has come and gone. Along with the spring blossoms and the warm breeze comes thenew fiscal year! Here’s to a great semester at your school or prosperous changes at your home and workplace. With thechanging weather, it is easy to catch a cold, so make sure to take care of your health!

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Kanazawa International Friendship Festival 2022

Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Kanazawa International Friendship Festival, the biggest international

exchange event in the entire Hokuriku region! The event featured goods and food sold by 35 organizations from all around theprefecture. On top of that, 16 groups got up on the World Stage to perform, dance, and sing their hearts out! It was a hugely
successful event, and we couldn’t be more thankful for everyone who came. A huge thanks to the staff and volunteers without
whom none of it would have been possible. Please look forward to the next one, and in the meantime, enjoy the following
pictures from the event.

Let’s Play the Angklung,an Indonesian Instrument

A World Map Coloredwith Our Handprints

Traditional Korean Game:
Pitch-Pot

After a bit of fumbling around withthe unfamiliar instrument, parents andkids played together with glowingsmiles.

Children dipped their hands in ink
to create a beautiful map of this world
we all share.

Pitch-pot involves throwing anarrow into a pot a distance away.
Looking to win, our contestants tried
their hand again and again.

Halloween Booth:
Trick or Treat

Special Act:
With Hopes for World Peace

The kids declared “Trick or Treat!”with all their might in exchange forcandy, passed out by Kanazawa’s
international students.

Kateryna Gudzii, born in Ukraine,
performed on the bandura. Her
stirring songs were filled with passion
for her home country.

World Gourmet

Every booth had large a turnout.
They sold out one after another!

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Connecting Our Communities

Info session about high school enrollment
The high school entrance process in Japan is tricky to navigate. Every year,
we hold a session explaining the timeline, what exams are needed, and what
support is available for international residents, along with a broad overview of
the Japanese educational system. Experienced teachers and staff are alsoavailable to answer questions and give advice on what schools might be agood fit. This year, we had participants from the Philippines and Thailand.

International cooking classes and events
We hold events led by residents from all over the world. ASlovakian resident taught a cooking class where participants
tried their hand at making halušky, a dish made with potato
dumplings, cheese, and bacon. Around Christmas, parents
and kids decorated cupcakes and learned about Christmas
in the United States. In February, we held events about theLunar New Year and Chinese traditions, and about Belgium
and its cuisine. They’re a great way to learn about newcultures and meet new people!

3Farewells from Our CIRs

With the fiscal year ending, we must say goodbye to Tianling and Seyoung, our Chinese and Korean CIRs. We are sad tosee them go but wish them all the best for their adventures ahead! Here are a few words from the two of them.
Hello, everyone! This is
Tianling from China. Four years
have passed in the blink of aneye since I came to Kanazawa!
This was my first time living inJapan, and it has a special
place in my heart. It has
become my second home! I can’t express how
grateful I am for all the kind people here who havehelped me. I’m sad to be leaving, but looking backon these four years, I have been blessed with theopportunity to meet and get to know so many
wonderful people. My time here was meaningful,and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. Thank you
all for supporting me in my journey as a CIR! 謝謝！

Contact Information

Annyeonghaseyo! I’m Seyoung Kim
from Korea. It feels like it was onlyyesterday
whenIwrotemyself-introduction message, but I’malready writing my farewell. Kanazawa
is my first experience living in Japan.
Everyday has felt like a dream. I am
really thankful for everyone. I’m happy
to have made so many memories with everyone inKanazawa through Korean cooking classes, presentations,and school visits. From drawing out authentic Korean
flavors to playing traditional games in Korean, I had
experiences which would’ve been hard to find even inKorea! I owe Kanazawa so much for these last 2 years and3 months. My time as a CIR may be at an end, but I won’tforget the bonds I forged here. I’ll do my best from here onout too! From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Kanazawa International Exchange Foundation

To Kanaiwa

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

Phone（076）220-2522
F A X（076）220-2527
URL : http://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