“JAPAN FESTIVAL 2018” was held at Box Hill Town Hall in Melbourne on Sunday, May 20. Assistant Director, Mr Takanori Tanimoto represented CLAIR Sydney at the event to assist with the promotion of different Japanese local areas at the booth ran by JETAA Vic/Tas/SA. The spacious hall was very lively and there were constant exchanges of conversations in Japanese. There were continuous performances held at the main stage, such as Japanese taiko drums and traditional dance, as well as a cosplay contest. Takanori spoke with many visitors on the day who all have great knowledge about Japan, and he was able to rediscover the attractions of Japan. It was a wonderful event that made us feel the exchange between Australia and Japan will continue to prosper into the future; very much like the sister city relationship between Whitehorse, where the event was held, and Matsudo (in Chiba Prefecture). In addition, this year there seemed to be more visitors who showed interest in the JET Programme than the previous years. We would like to express our appreciation for the JETAA Vic/Tas/SA members who helped out at the booth at the event.
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.
