On Saturday, 26 October, the Canberra Nara Candle Festival, held annually, celebrated the sister city relationship between Canberra and Nara City. Around 12,000 event attendees enjoyed the Japanese music performances on stage, various Japanese food stalls and Japanese cultural experiences of trying origami and calligraphy at the booth of the Embassy of Japan in Australia. JETAA Canberra ran a food stall that attracted many people. After sunset, thousands of candles were lit up among colourful illuminations at the venue, which encapsulated the place with a magical atmosphere.
CLAIR Sydney utilised a section of the Embassy of Japan in Australia to promote Nara City and other regional destinations in Japan. Many event attendees visited our booth and enjoyed collecting travel information about Japan. Many of those who had visited Japan before told us that they had been to Nara as well, which gave us a sense of the permeating impact of sister city relationships among Australians.We will continue to promote cultural exchange between Australia and Japan and increase Australians’ interest in Japan by supporting sister city relationships.
From the 3rd to the 13th of December, eight selected swimmers from the Fukuoka Swimming Association visited NSW, where they participated in joint training sessions with a local school and competed in the 2024-25 Speedo NSW Senior State Age Championships.
