My encounter with Asia

When I was a student, I wanted to take on an international job partly because my major was Indonesian.
In addition, I had an experience in planning and managing the international conferences in the field of water before transferring to Singapore. Through such experiences, I came to realize the importance of the tie between Japan and the world, especially with Asia. This was one of the most major reasons that awakened my desire to work in Asia.

Memorable job –My desire to promote exchange between Asia and Japan-

In Singapore, I worked at CLAIR Singapore Office as a representative of Tokyo. This was my first experience to work overseas, which was full of new discoveries and surprises.
During my two-year term in Singapore, I was in charge of city promotion on behalf of local governments to enhance their international exchange programs and increase the number of incoming tourists. I was also responsible for coordination of overseas expansion of local businesses. One of the most impressive works among them was the planning of the exchange program to dispatch Japanese public employees for overseas training.
I planned this overseas exchange program with the aim of providing a better understanding of the current state of dynamic Asia and promoting mutual exchange between Japan and Asia. I appreciated the warm cooperation extended to me during my visit to Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in India and Jakarta in Indonesia. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for such support, which helped me to make the program more productive.
In particular, I was deeply impressed with the exchange programs, which were carried out in Delhi, India and in Jakarta, Indonesia with the students who study Japanese, along with the visit to administrative organizations and inspection of industrial parks.
As part of the exchange program, the presentations were given in Japanese concerning culture, customs and administrative system of each country. Some group enthusiastically gave explanation on the difficult education system and the spread of Facebook and other SNS, while the members of other group wore Japanese summer cotton kimono and conducted a fashion show of traditional costumes. I had a great time at this event that was filled with ideas and discoveries.

I was surprised to know that such a large number of students in foreign countries are interested in Japan and study Japanese very hard. At the same time, I was moved by their hard work preparing the presentation for several months looking forward to the exchange with us. I firmly believe that some of the participants in this program will serve as a bridge between Japan and Asia in the future.

* The Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, Singapore(CLAIR Singapore Office)

Warm sympathies toward the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake

The great earthquake (Great East Japan Earthquake) hit Japan on March 11, 2011, just before I left for Singapore. Many precious lives were lost, and the entire Japan was in a depressed mood. I will never forget that I received thoughtful expressions of encouragement and concern for the Japanese people at the places I visited on business.
At the travel fair held in Bangkok, a special exhibition space was offered through the courtesy from the organizer under the circumstances where the number of travelers to Japan from Asia had dropped due to the earthquake. The message board set up at the space was soon filled with the messages from the visitors to encourage Japan or wish for the Japan's recovery, in addition to the message to express appreciation to the support to the victims of the flood in Thailand. Moreover, in Manila and Thailand, where I visited, I received a great deal of cooperation to organize the event to support the Japan's recovery.
Furthermore one hundred volunteer students in Singapore visited the quake-hit area in Tohoku as "Youth Ambassadors for Tohoku" under the sponsorship of the local Japanese institutions. After their returning to Singapore, the event was held to introduce their experiences. I was also encouraged with exchanges among young people.
I could actually feel a warm sense of tie beyond national boundaries, which has become one of the unforgettable assets for me and serves as a great incentive to be involved in an international work in the future.

Singapore, a very attractive country -Celebration of New Years four times a year-

I could not introduce all the appeals of Singapore that I experienced even if I continued to write these articles for one year. Singapore is such a nice place blessed with gourmet, leisure, shopping, nature, and in particular friendly people.
Ethnic diversity is one of the factors that make Singapore an attractive country. I, as Japanese, was most surprised with that fact that New Year is celebrated four times a year in this country.
As you may know, many ethnic groups, including Chinese, Indians, Malays, Europeans and other foreign people like us from around the world, gather in Singapore and share the cultures and customs. Therefore, they have four important New Year celebrations every year, such as the Chinese New Year, the New Year in the Islamic calendar and Deepavali in India, in addition to the New Year's Day (January 1), which we usually think of.
Furthermore, Hari Raya, Vesak Day, Good Friday and other important days for each ethnic group are established as national holidays. Such a cross-cultural tolerance cultivates a unique culture, which constitute one of the true charms of Singapore.
The Chingay Parade, which takes place during the Chinese New Year, is an event in which we can join and experience the diversity of Singapore.

The Chingay Parade is a traditional festival that started in 1973 with its origin dating back to the 19th century. The name of this festival originates from the term "Chingay" which means "the art of costume and masquerade" in the Hokkien dialect. On this day, many performance groups in colorful costumes come to the parade from many foreign countries, including Japan, along with the Singaporean groups. The parade attracts over three thousand participants, who perform their own traditional culture or dance to lively music.
It is no exaggeration to say that we can enjoy the festivals around the world at one time in Singapore. The Chingay Parade is broadcast on television in twenty two countries in the world, but please visit Singapore and actually experience the excitement.