Kamaeoka Cultural Activity Center party

Sat., Mar.15th 13:30-16:00
50 participants

The Center held the “Kameoka Cultural Activity Center Party” for expanding the wave of exchange in cooperation with our center and the Kameoka International Exchange Association.

Children put on a play about a Korean story, “A grandmother and tiger” in Korean and Japanese. Children made up their face and wore costumes they made. They performed the play happily.

Participants played a card game presented by Mr.Koichi Ando. No one can speak when they played the game. They could communicate only with gestures. They experienced a world in which they could not talk with their own languages. In a sense, they went to different countries. Through the game, they found the difficulty of understanding each other and importance of understanding other culture.

At the end of this event, a ukulele chorus band, “Swing Tee’s ” , performed American music from the 50’s. Participants liked the music very much.

Dream World China

Sat., Mar.1st 13:30-15:00
13 participants

Before the 22nd Kameoka Friendship Delegation to China took place, the Center held the Dream World China event and invited two Chinese guests.

Cui Shan Jin was the first guest. She introduced general information and the present situation in China. Also she talked about her life. Participants were interested in her talking and asked many questions.

He Shin is one of our teachers in Chinese Language class. He taught easy Chinese sentences for traveling. Participants memorized them and repeated the pronunciations of the sentences.

Three kinds of eating utensils

World Festa 2008

Sat., Feb.23nd 10:30-15:00
200 participants

The center held the World Festa 2008, with themes of “eating utensils.”
In the world, we have more or less three kinds of eating utensils. One is eating by hand and the others are chopsticks and flatware.

Local volunteers and foreign guests from eleven countries planned this event with the Center and introduced the three kinds of utensils and different food cultures in the world.

During lunch time, participants tried one of the eating utensils, which is eating by hand. We usually use chopsticks when we eat foods. We sometimes eat something by hand. But we hardly ever eat entire meals by hand. Participants had a tough time. However, they found something new in other cultures. It was a good experience to smell the flavor of spices on our fingers.

Hand-Knit Scarf Course

Sat., Jan.26th 10:30-14:00
14 participants

The Center held the Hand-Knit Scarf Course. Participants a pack containing colors of yarn which they like from the yarn the instructor prepared by Hiroko Fujita and started the course.

The participants then knit their selected yarns. One of types of yarn had had several colors in it.
At first, the participants took much time knitting. But after the instructor advised them, they got better at it. The work quickened and their balls of yarn became something like a scarf. It became their motivation and the work quickened more and more. They concentrated very hard and some of them forgot their lunch time. They worked hard and quietly.

By the end of the course, the participants finalized their scarves, all with a variety of colors. Some of them used their scarves as soon as they returned home.

Dream World Finland

Sat., Dec. 8th 13:30-16:00
40 participants

The Center held " Dream World Finland" and introduced the country of Finland with Finnish guests.

Yoshie Nishimoto (Kodomo Support Project) talked about what she saw at school in Finland. She said she was surprised that young children attended class calmly, without making noise. Teachers support what children want to do and try not to force their pace. They always let children motivate themselves and sometimes just give advice. Children also do group work with others. This is for improving overall communication skills. They do many activities outdoors. They learn how to survive in forests and team up with others.

Nina Hayasaki is a Finnish woman who has lived in Japan over 10 years. She talked about the differences between Finland and Japan. Finland has well-established social security and treats men and women equally. Half of Diet members are women, as well as their Prime Minister. Their working time is not so long and they have plenty of vacation time. People of both countries are similar in that they are mild-mannered, quiet and earnest. But Finnish prizes individualism while Japanese are collectivists. Finland has unique citizens' right. They can freely pick berries and mushrooms from the forests.

Father and Mrs. Hamalainen live in Kameoka. They introduced daily life in Finland. Summer nights are very bright, and on the other hand, winter days are short and dark. Almost all Finnish homes have a sauna. One thing they enjoy is diving in to cold lakes after steaming in the sauna. Children enjoy playing in the forests during the summer. In winter, they like skiing. Finnish people sometimes say that they are born as wearing skis.

Finnish society provides its people with a comfortable environment for learning and experiencing news things. People choose what they want to learn and experience by themselves. They are an independent nation based on the principle of self-responsibility.

Christmas Stained Glass Course

Sat., Dec. 1st 10:30-15:00
30 participants

The Center held the Christmas Stained Glass Course. The instructors were from a group that often does activities at our Center.

The instructors explained the process and then participants began to work. At first, they put bronze tape on the edge of the pieces of glass. It is necessary to weld glass because no other method can hold glass together. Next participants welded the glasses. They soldered the tape around the glass and put the pieces together. They were quite good at making stained glass. At the end of this course, they turned out Christmas ornaments in the shape of stockings, bells and candles, and picked up them with a satisfied look.

After the course, participants and instructors joined a Christmas party the Center had. They enjoyed Christmas songs by the Peppermints, which are a female chorus group, and various teas.

We hope they enjoyed both making the stained glass and the party.

One day Trip in Kameoka

Sat., Nov. 17th 10:00-21:00
70 participants

The Center and Kyoto Prefectural International Center held the “One Day Trip in Kameoka.” Resident foreigners in Kyoto prefecture came to Kameoke and spent a half day with host families.　19 participants from 12 countries joined this trip.
(Nationalities of participants: China, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Italy, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Lithuania, Thailand, U.S.A)

The participants came to Kameoka and went to a historical district in the morning. They looked around old town houses while taking pictures. They enjoyed the views of the town.

At our center, participants met their host families and had lunch with them. Both participants and families enjoyed a little exchange party to get to know each other.

After the party, participants visited the host families’ homes. They cooked local dishes of their country and spend time together until the night.

Bamboo Festa

Sat., Nov. 10th 13:30-16:00
50 participants

The center held the bamboo festa. We introduced our activity about Bamboo for the past three years. We had some courses using about bamboo such as handmade bamboo crafts and making bamboo charcoal.

We hosted musicians who played music instruments made of bamboo. They explained the instruments and played them. Participants enjoyed the oriental music.

Some bamboo products, traditional bamboo crafts and other crafts made by our students were exhibited on the floor.

Halloween Party

Sat., Nov. 3rd 13:30-16:00
100 participants

The center held a Halloween Party. Our staff dressed up wizards. The children and their parents come dressed up as various characters and came.

The center decorated the whole the building and children went trick-or-treating in there. They got sweets from wizards, witches, princes and monsters. They looked so happy. But some of them cried in a ghost house we made. When they left the center they recovered their smiles.

The Exchange party with foreign residents in Kameoka

Sat., Oct. 27th 13:30-16:00
50 participants

The center held an exchange party with foreign residents in Kameoka.

In a workshop, Koichi Ando (Prrofessor of Otemae University) talked about cultural differences. Participants tried some games to learn about them. Mr. Ando said we need to know different cultures, so that we can also know ourselves.

Miki Mukai introduced the lives of children in Laos. Some children still cant’t go to school because they need to work for their family. Ms.Mukai imports Laotian clothes to sell for supporting the children.

Participants talked about their daily lives in Japan in a tea party.

Cleaning up a bamboo grove and making bamboo charcoa

Oct 6th(Sat), 13th(Sat) and 20th(sat)
17 participants

The center held the course “Cleaning up bamboo groves and making bamboo charcoal” over the course of 3 sessions.

On the first day, participants started clearing out grove after learning about bamboo and how to cut it. They cut down the bamboo and cut it into small pieces to out in a charcoal kiln.
Also, they made a bamboo fence around the grove to protect it from animals.

On the second day, participants lit the kiln and tried to make charcoal. The quality of bamboo charcoal depends on the condition of the bamboo, heat, humidity and so on. It takes almost one day for bamboo to become charcoal.

On the third day, participants opened the kiln and took out the charcoal. They shared it and took it home. They said they would use the charcoal for odor eliminating, filtration of water, using in the bath and other things. They gained some knowleage of using charcoal.

Global Understanding Festa

The center held the Global Understanding Festa. People work with foreign people and foreign introduced their activity at six booths.

Booth No.1: “Sketches and experiences in India” by Koshin Kawasaki
After retirement, he went to India for one year. He shared his thoughts and experience in India, which is are called a developing country in an IT boom. He also exhibited the sketches he drew while there.

Booth No.2: “Meeting with foreigners during their school trip in Nara.” By Kameoka Elementary School 6th graders.
They acted out a play describing their experiences during a school trip to Nara. They asked questions to foreigners who were sightseeing. At first, it was difficult to do, but eventually they were able to communicate well with foreign travelers.

Booth No.3: “Parental care in Finland” by Yoshie Nishimoto (Kodomo Support Project)
She introduced her experiences in Finland by showing pictures. Parental care in Finland is different from Japan. Their culture is based on the principle of self-responsibility. Parents don’t say to children “You can’t do it” either in society. Children are responsibility for themselves. Parents never have to scold them. We will introduce this country in December on our event.

Booth No.4: “JICA’s activity” by Kazu Kamemura(Japan International Cooperation Agency)
She introduced JICA’s activities. She has been to Nicaragua as a member of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. People in Nicaragua don’t have enough knowledge about the environment. She taught ecological education to the children and had a environmental activity with them.

Booth No5: “English education for children” by Rie Ikeno
She introduced a method of English education using a material called “BB cards.” Children experienced the games.

Booth No.6: “Korean traditional dance and Culture” by Suh Hee Young
She introduced current Korean culture and her traditional dance. She showed a Men’s dance while wearing male clothes.

Booth No.7: “A grandmother and tiger” by Children of World Studies
Children put on a play about a Korean story “A grandmother and tiger” in Korean and Japanese.
Children made up their face and wore costumes they made. Then, they helped save a grandmother from tigers. After the play, they danced a congratulatory dance with Ms Suh.

After the introducing, participants went to each booth and asked questions to the presenters. The center holds this event every year for participants to think their own way of exchanging cultures and thinking.

Open World Studies in Summer

The center held the World Studies event for children. The guest was Suh Hee Young , who introduced Korean cultures.

The class started with children introducing themselves to one another.
We showed them a variety of foreign picture books, especially some from Korea, and read some of them to the children.

Children put together a play to act out in the one of our events called “The Global Understanding Fseta.” Children listed the story of Korean picture book “A grandmother and tiger” in Korean and Japanese, then they thought which character they wanted to act out in the story.

They also tried on the Korean folk costume called “Chima jeogori” and took pictures. Children displayed pictures of “Chima jeogori” made from origami and put on larger paper.

Ms. Suh taught Korean dance and drumming to the children. Some of children beat drums and others danced following Ms. Suh’s steps.

After the dance, children practiced the play “A grandmother and tiger.” They played the parts of their favorite character. They are looking forward to performing it.

English Education for Children

The center held a children is class using English educational materials called “BB Cards.”

Instructor Etsuko Nanba explained what “BB Cards” is. “BB Cards” consists of picture cards and sentence cards (64 each) and it use in a game. All sentences rhyme. Children memorized the sentences while listening to their pronunciation and repeating them out laud.
In the game, children added their own words to make sentences, and swithed them around to form questions.
Children automatically become able to express what they want to talk about in English, playing the game without thinking they are learning English grammar.
BB Cards were a fun way to learn English.

After the explanation, children tried the game. Everybody listened carefully to the sentences Ms Nanba read and picked out the picture cards happily.
This is not a usual English learning style. It would be a good idea for people who are interested in English education.

Teaching Japanese Class The 1st day

The center held a Japanese Teaching Class for beginners. We learned that not all Japanese speakers can teach Japanese. There is an appropriate ways of teaching Japanese.

　This class is hold 5 times from July to December. (Excluding August) Students will learn different things every time.

In the first class, Instructor Hisako Sato introduced study materials and teaching aids.
There are texts, pictures, drawings, maps, a CD player and a VCR. She also said everything around us would be materials.

The Next class is Saturday September 15th.

1st Sun., May. 26th 10:00-15:00
2nd Sat., June. 24th 10:00-15:00
3rd Sat., July. 14th 13:30-16:30 　
23　Participants

The center held the Bamboo Craft Course and made bamboo dishes over the course of 3 sessions.

One the first day of this course, participants listened to a lecture about what kinds of plant bamboo is. There are 1,100 to 2,200 different kinds of bamboo in the world. It is not known how many kinds of bamboo are in Japan. It is said perhaps 600 or 237 kinds.
We used to use bamboo in our daily lives. But nowadays, we have quit using it for various reasons. As a result, inhospitable bamboo groves are increasing.
After the lecture, participants learned how to cut bamboo and shave thinly to make bamboo strips. This is the material for making a bamboo dish.

On the second day of this course, participants tried to weave the strips in a criss-cross fashion. It is hard work to cross the bamboos trips diagonally.

On the third day of this course, participants finished. They fixed a work last time they weaved with other bamboo strips, and cut extra strips. They finished making their dishes.

The work was difficult for participants who tried bamboo crafts for the first time. But they have nimble hands. It made their weaving a breeze.

July7th-8th
70 participants (Including 17 foreign students)

　The center and Kyoto Prefectural International Center held　an event called “A Look Around Kameoka Foreign Students Tour 2007” to teach students more about Kameoka and the Japanese life style while spending time with a host family.

　17 students from 11 countries participated in the tour this time. The tour started as they arrived in JR Kameoka station in the morning. FURUSATO KAMEOKA Volunteer Guide Association took them and showed them around historical town views in the central Kameoka. The students were interested in the old Japanese style houses and listened to the explanation by guide with rapt attention. They took pictures and were impressed the preserved historic architecture.

　In the afternoon, students came to our building, and enjoyed games and crafts about reusing and recycling with 22 children in Kameoka. They enjoyed each of 4 booths: a gun made of used disposable chopsticks; a game made from an empty box; an acrylic scrubber made from yarn; a board game about environmental problems. The booth was very popular. Many students and children surrounded the booth and tried to knit the scrubber with yarn.　
Finally, all participants made a circle and danced a Japanese traditional dance. Students and children had probably never tried the dance, but they were really enjoyed it.

　After that, students met their host families and spent a time with them until the next evening. The next day, students came back from their host family’s house made nice smiles and everyone had such a good time that they were reluctant to leave.

　The center held the Demonstration of Teaching Japanese Class.
Ms. Sato who is an instructor asked participants that do you think everybody who speaks Japanese can teach Japanese?

　Becoming a Japanese teacher has been popular for young people recently. Perhaps they think they can go to abroad, if they teach Japanese. Normally, the salary of Japanese teacher abroad is not so high. It is just enough for daily life. Ms. Sato said that it will be a good experience for young people.
Domestic Japanese teachers also don’t get good pay. But a lot of foreigners are in need of them now.

　Here are some challenges for Japanese teacher.
*It is your advantage if you have experience learning other languages.
*Giving appropriate lessons to each student at each levels.
*Motivating to students.
Also, Ms. Sato said that Japanese teachers must be sensitive about words. We can learn a lot of things from teaching.

　Participants also experienced teaching Japanese to foreign guests. Participants tried to correct their Japanese.

　The center will hold “Teaching Japanese class” from July for people who want to be a Japanese teacher.

The center held the Speech Class.

　This class started with participations introducing themselves and being asked why they joined this class.

One of the participants answered that she wants to know how to say what she thinks clearly. Almost all of them participants joined in this class to learn how to use communication in their daily life.

In this class, the instructor taught what participants wanted to know- speaking in daily life, enunciation, the implication of words, greetings and how to answer phone, while introducing the importance of words.

After the class, participants said, “I want to utilize what I learned here in my daily life. And I want to communicate well with people around me.

　The center held the "One Day trip : Finding history with foreign travelers" and went to Ryouan-ji and Kinku-ji.This trip, for students of the Landscape Architecture Program of Oklahoma State University in the United States and Kameokans thought the students about Japanese cultural through historical places.

　On as sunny day in May, participants and students left Kameoka City Hall by bus. In the bus, a tour guide introduced general information about Japan and the temples we would see in English.

　After arriving at Ryouan-ji, they looked around the temple grounds freely. Students sat on a wooden floor in front of the famous stone garden and sketched the view while sharing their feelings with participants.

At Kinkaku-ji, they saw the temples grounds full of tourists. The students had been Ginkaku-ji before the day, so they were surprised by the differences between the two temples.

　On this trip, There were 20 participants from elementary school students to adults, the center had 20 participants. They got to try communicating with students and enjoyed this trip.

May.11th-21st
1 professor and 10 students

　Students of the Landscape Architecture Program of Oklahoma State University in the United States arrived in Kameoka to learn Japan's culture and her gardens. They stayed in Kameoka and went to Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto to see Japanese style gardens. They also participated in the One day trip for finding histories with foreign travelers . They also had a home stay experience with families in Kameoka.

　The center hosted 14 high school students from San Francisco, U.S.A, who come to Japan to experience Japanese culture, and a program to introduce them to Kameokans .

　In the morning, participants and students tried a type of calligraphy, in which they drew a Chinese character by imaging its meaning. They drew the characters “Rain” and “Pig” using an ink brush. The images Japanese participants had of these words differenced greatly from the ones that students had. There were a variety of unique characters drawn. Both participants and students thought about cultural differences while seeing each other’s work.

　After lunch, they participated in a “Global Session”, which is one of our English conversation classes. In the Global Session, a facilitator who is native English speaker and Japanese coordinator talked about the theme. Other participants listen to the conversation between the facilitator and coordinator. Participants are never asked opinions but they can freely express their opinions.
This time’s theme was “the differences between Japanese and American resume
” American write their resume to show themselves off, but Japanese people are reluctant to accentuate their positive qualities.

One reason we found was a simple matter of cultural differences: in Japanese businesses, loyalty is rewarded as well as hard work, and employees tend to get increased positions and salary the longer they work for a company. However, in the United States, competition is more encouraged. Just "doing what is expected・is not enough; performing at an average level means that you will not go anywhere professionally. Only those who stand out, those who do amazing jobs are able to advance in a company. Therefore, it is important to make yourself stand out from your peers on a resume.
I was very surprised at how active the students were in our discussion. Even in the States, many high school students are too shy to talk, but these students spoke out and offered their opinions freely. They helped each other explain American culture, and asked very good questions about Japan. All of the participants kept open minds about the topic, as well; different ways of thinking may seem silly at first, but we learned that there are always explanations behind them, and that these differences lead to a deepened understanding of other cultures (in other words, the beginning of friendship).