Multicultural introduction
Afternoon tea
In order to deepen relations between people all over the world, we will invite guests from different countries to talk about the culture, history, nature, and other topics related to their home countries in Japanese.
79th Afternoon Tea Tanzania Culture & Tourism Seminar
80th Afternoon Tea (Report) - What I learned from Turkey, Istanbul for the first time in 5 years - Date and time: Sunday, December 15, 2024, 1:30-3:00 pm Following the first lecture in November last year, this time too, Ms. Mariko Tokoshi Erdogan, who has lived in Turkey for 40 years, will be giving a lecture. Through the scenes of the daily lives of ordinary people in Istanbul, she spoke vividly about breakfast, B-grade gourmet food, cafes and libraries with spectacular views overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, and the reality of the inflation that is so great it is unimaginable in Japan, while showing many photos. Number of participants: 27 people, Number of staff: 11 people
79th Afternoon Tea Tanzania Culture & Tourism Seminar
Sunday, September 15, 2024, 13:30-15:00 Guests: Kazuma Shirai, Senior Administrative Officer, Tanzania Embassy, and Hosea M. Chikolongo, Political and Cultural Attaché On Sunday, September 15, we welcomed Kazuma Shirai and Chikolongo from the Tanzania Embassy, who spoke about the charms of Tanzania. Tanzania is 2.5 times the size of Japan, and the distance between the two countries is about the same as between Tokyo and New York. It is a very young country, with a median age of 17.9 years old. It is famous for its snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m). Serengeti National Park means "endless grassland" and is home to nearly 3 million wildebeest, who migrate in search of grass during the dry season. It is also home to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, known as the "zoo of the world," and the Maasai culture. The official languages are Swahili and English. Safari means "journey" in Swahili. The venue was filled with excitement, with people who had been to Tanzania and those planning to go.
78th Afternoon Tea
A land of blue skies and grasslands
Mongolia - A country that seems far away but is close - Date and time: December 3, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm Guest speaker: Mr. Byambadorji Buyantgotoho After spending his elementary school years in Japan and middle and high school in Mongolia, he studied abroad at Yokohama National University and is currently busy working at a Japanese company. I was able to hear very interesting stories about festivals, nomadic lifestyles based on coexistence with nature without wasting the blessings of nature, and life in ger. In addition, Mr. Buyant performed two pieces on the horse-head qin, which is an intangible cultural property of Mongolia. The venue erupted in applause for the wonderful performance, which was reminiscent of the wind blowing through the Mongolian grasslands and the sound of galloping horses' hooves. At the Q&A corner, the questions from the participants continued without interruption, and I could feel the high level of interest in the participants.I was also impressed by the thoroughness with which Mr. Buyant answered in fluent Japanese. It was very popular, with comments such as ``It made me feel very close to Mongolia.''
77th Afternoon Tea
What I learned from Türkiye
~What I learned from Türkiye and my 40 years of living in Istanbul~ Date: November 12, 2023 Guest speaker: Shoshi Mariko Erdoğan First Japanese language instructor at Boasci University, 40 years of residence in Türkiye The many stories rooted in daily life by Mariko Erdogan, who has lived in Turkey for 40 years, are very interesting, and the explanations that show tea utensils, accessories, perfumes, amulets, etc. that are used in real life have a sense of realism. The 33 participants (including staff) listened intently. At the Q&A corner after the lecture, many questions were asked in rapid succession, demonstrating the high level of interest in the presentation, and Mr. Shoshi answered each question carefully, one by one. The lecture was very popular, with most attendees saying it was ``very good'' in a survey.
76th Afternoon Tea
Why are Indian people good at mathematics?
~Why are Indian people good at mathematics? ~ Date and time: March 19, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm Guest speaker: Joshi Manjusha We welcomed Joshi Manjusha from India. A total of 38 people (including staff) participated in the talk, which was given in Japanese under the title "Why are Indian people so good at mathematics?" Indian engineers are highly sought after by IT companies around the world because they are strong in mathematics and fluent in English. Mathematics is essential for IT, and he talked about how children in India study from an early age, using tables such as multiplication tables in an easy-to-understand and fun way. In elementary schools in India, there is math class every day, and homework is also given every day. In middle school and high school, students learn more advanced mathematics. We also talked about festivals, world heritage sites, and food in the state of Maharashtra, where Manjusha is from. Many participants said they wanted to hear more about mathematics, and the venue was filled with excitement! I hope this story will help you learn more about India.
75th Afternoon Tea
~Festivals in Taiwan~
Date and time: Sunday, November 6, 2022 Guest speaker: Xiao Juyin We invited Ms. Hsiao, who is from Taiwan, to talk about the four festivals and the tourist spots and gourmet food around the festival locations, using videos, under the title "Festivals of Taiwan." ・Taiwan Lantern Festival, Taiwan's largest light festival, where giant lanterns and many brightly colored lanterns are displayed (location changes every year) ・The fantastic New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, where countless lanterns dance in the night sky (Taipei area) ・The impressive “Yenxuei Feng Pao” (Rocket Fireworks Festival) with over 1 million rockets and firecrackers (Tainan area) ・The Hualien County Harvest Festival is a comprehensive festival in which indigenous people give thanks to their ancestors and gods for a bountiful harvest and give performances. (Eastern Taiwan area) The lecture was a great success, with the 19 participants (including two children) asking many questions about the story and video of Taiwan's most attractive festival.
