For three days, from September 4th (Tue) to 6th (Sat), 2014, the ANMC21 Exhibition was held in Tomsk, Russia. This event is held simultaneously with the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) Plenary Meeting, with the dual purposes of helping residents of the plenary’s host city get to know ANMC21, and introducing the culture of other member cities to those residents.

There are four major components of the ANMC 21 Exhibition: exhibits that introduce joint projects coordinated by each member city; booth exhibits that publicize the appeal of each member city; stage performances by performers from the member cities; and exhibits of children’s paintings from the member cities. The cities worked within a limited preparation time to create the most enjoyable experience possible for their guests, by showcasing the traditional songs and dances of their countries, and distributing specialty products and travel guides at their booths.

We’d like to highlight Tokyo’s programs at this year’s ANMC21 Exhibition. In the creation of its booth for this event, Tokyo put special emphasis on allowing residents of Tomsk to really experience Japanese culture. Therefore, the Tokyo booth added more “hands-on attractions” than in previous years, including traditional toys such as kendama and origami, a popular festival game “super ball scooping”, and even a photography corner where visitors can take photos wearing yukata (casual summer kimono) in front of the big picture of scenery of Tokyo. These attractions were very well-received by students in Tomsk. Kendama in particular was so popular that some students continued practicing throughout the event, and became even more skilled than the booth staff from Tokyo by the end. The stage performances featured acrobatics and juggling based on an image of “modern Tokyo”, and presented Tokyo as a strong city marching forward to the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

In operating the Tokyo booth at this year’s ANMC21 Exhibition, not only we the office staff, but also nearly 30 students from Tomsk volunteered to help us; they built and tore down the exhibit, as well as provided information to visitors. We were greatly moved to find young people with such warm feelings towards Tokyo and Japan in a place as far away as Tomsk.

The ANMC21 Exhibition is an invaluable chance for cultural exchange between the member city staff and host city residents. We earnestly hope that we can turn this year’s exchange into a long-lasting relationship, instead of simply a fleeting event.

This year’s Plenary Meeting and ANMC21 Exhibition ended successfully, thanks to the efforts of the host city, Tomsk. Thank you very much, people of Tomsk, and all member cities that participated in these events!