Celebration Lounge 30th Anniversary New Year's Gathering
Date: Sunday, January 12, 2020
13:30-15:30
Inside the Aoba Ward Citizen Exchange Center
The 5th conference room The 2nd and 3rd conference rooms
Guest performer:
Mr. Masaru Yamakage (Tsugaru shamisen)
Mr. Yoshie Kawa
Mr. Lee Sang-cheol (traditional Korean percussion)
The 2020 New Year's gathering was held to celebrate the lounge's 30th anniversary in November 2019. Following Chairman Koike's opening address, the first half enjoyed performances by two groups of guests. First, Tsugaru shamisen player Masaru Yamakage brilliantly performed songs from a variety of genres, from folk songs to pop songs. Next, two members of the Korean traditional percussion instrument team Hwarandae gave an explanation of ``Nongak,'' the music of farmers, followed by a performance of the traditional percussion instrument Janggo and a dance performance. All of the performances were spectacular, perfect for the New Year, and were met with loud applause from the audience. Afterwards, a slide presentation of the Lounge's 30 Years of Progress was shown, and a networking session was held between visitors, guest performers, and staff. Some of the foreigners came dressed in their country's national costumes, making it a very colorful social gathering typical of the New Year.
2019 “New Year Gathering”
We held our annual New Year's Gathering this year as well.
Date and time: Sunday, January 13, 2019
10:30-12:00
Venue: Aoba Ward Resident Exchange Center
Sponsored by: Yokohama City Aoba International Exchange Lounge
The Yokohama City Aoba International Lounge's first event of 2019, the annual "New Year's Gathering", was held on Sunday, January 13th. Although it was the middle of a long weekend, about 70 people including staff from the local area, including foreigners, gathered. The venue was decorated with ``Ikebana'', ``Pig'' calligraphy, and New Year's decorations, creating a gorgeous atmosphere of New Year's celebration. At the mini-event, participants enjoyed a gamelan performance by Bali Ska Champuru, a traditional percussion ensemble from Bali, Indonesia. The children were soothed by the soothing sounds of bamboo, and were also able to touch rare musical instruments with great interest. After the event, the participants had a fun time chatting over snacks of sushi, sweets, and drinks, and the participants seemed to be having a lot of fun talking until the end. We were given Japanese sweets as gifts on our way home, and we received comments from the participants saying, ``It was fun. Thank you.'' Thank you very much to everyone who participated.
2018 New Year's Gathering
We held our annual New Year's Gathering this year as well.
Date and time: Sunday, January 7, 2018
10:30-12:00
Venue: Aoba Ward Resident Exchange Center
Sponsored by: Yokohama City Aoba International Exchange Lounge
The Yokohama City Aoba International Exchange Lounge's first event of 2018, the annual "New Year's Gathering", was held on Sunday, January 7th. Although it was the middle of a long weekend, about 80 people including local people, including foreigners, and staff gathered and it was a great success. The venue was decorated with "dog" calligraphy and various New Year's decorations, creating a gorgeous New Year's celebration atmosphere. At the mini-event, we listened to performances by members of the Yokohama Accordion Lovers' Association, sang ``Sadharunfu'' and ``Look Up at the Night Stars,'' and enjoyed a Japanese folk song medley quiz. We also experienced an Iranian dance performed by Ms. Shia, a teacher at the lounge foreign language class. After Ms. Shea gave an explanation in easy English, the audience got excited as everyone danced to Iranian music. After the event, the participants had a fun chat over light sushi, sweets, and drinks, and the participants couldn't stop talking until the end. We received feedback from those who participated that it was fun. Thank you everyone.