Multicultural introduction
Afternoon tea
In order to deepen relations between people all over the world, we will invite guests from different countries to talk about the culture, history, nature, and other topics related to their home countries in Japanese.
79th Afternoon Tea Tanzania Culture & Tourism Seminar
Sunday, September 15, 2024, 13:30-15:00 Guests: Kazuma Shirai, Senior Administrative Officer, Tanzania Embassy, and Hosea M. Chikolongo, Political and Cultural Attaché On Sunday, September 15, we welcomed Kazuma Shirai and Chikolongo from the Tanzania Embassy, who spoke about the charms of Tanzania. Tanzania is 2.5 times the size of Japan, and the distance between the two countries is about the same as between Tokyo and New York. It is a very young country, with a median age of 17.9 years old. It is famous for its snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m). Serengeti National Park means "endless grassland" and is home to nearly 3 million wildebeest, who migrate in search of grass during the dry season. It is also home to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, known as the "zoo of the world," and the Maasai culture. The official languages are Swahili and English. Safari means "journey" in Swahili. The venue was filled with excitement, with people who had been to Tanzania and those planning to go.
78th Afternoon Tea
A land of blue skies and grasslands
Mongolia - A country that seems far away but is close - Date and time: December 3, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm Guest speaker: Mr. Byambadorji Buyantgotoho After spending his elementary school years in Japan and middle and high school in Mongolia, he studied abroad at Yokohama National University and is currently busy working at a Japanese company. I was able to hear very interesting stories about festivals, nomadic lifestyles based on coexistence with nature without wasting the blessings of nature, and life in ger. In addition, Mr. Buyant performed two pieces on the horse-head qin, which is an intangible cultural property of Mongolia. The venue erupted in applause for the wonderful performance, which was reminiscent of the wind blowing through the Mongolian grasslands and the sound of galloping horses' hooves. At the Q&A corner, the questions from the participants continued without interruption, and I could feel the high level of interest in the participants.I was also impressed by the thoroughness with which Mr. Buyant answered in fluent Japanese. It was very popular, with comments such as ``It made me feel very close to Mongolia.''
77th Afternoon Tea
What I learned from Türkiye
~What I learned from Türkiye and my 40 years of living in Istanbul~ Date: November 12, 2023 Guest speaker: Shoshi Mariko Erdoğan First Japanese language instructor at Boasci University, 40 years of residence in Türkiye The many stories rooted in daily life by Mariko Erdogan, who has lived in Turkey for 40 years, are very interesting, and the explanations that show tea utensils, accessories, perfumes, amulets, etc. that are used in real life have a sense of realism. The 33 participants (including staff) listened intently. At the Q&A corner after the lecture, many questions were asked in rapid succession, demonstrating the high level of interest in the presentation, and Mr. Shoshi answered each question carefully, one by one. The lecture was very popular, with most attendees saying it was ``very good'' in a survey.
76th Afternoon Tea
Why are Indian people good at mathematics?
~Why are Indian people good at mathematics? ~ Date and time: March 19, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm Guest speaker: Joshi Manjusha We welcomed Joshi Manjusha from India. A total of 38 people (including staff) participated in the talk, which was given in Japanese under the title "Why are Indian people so good at mathematics?" Indian engineers are highly sought after by IT companies around the world because they are strong in mathematics and fluent in English. Mathematics is essential for IT, and he talked about how children in India study from an early age, using tables such as multiplication tables in an easy-to-understand and fun way. In elementary schools in India, there is math class every day, and homework is also given every day. In middle school and high school, students learn more advanced mathematics. We also talked about festivals, world heritage sites, and food in the state of Maharashtra, where Manjusha is from. Many participants said they wanted to hear more about mathematics, and the venue was filled with excitement! I hope this story will help you learn more about India.
75th Afternoon Tea
~Festivals in Taiwan~
Date and time: Sunday, November 6, 2022 Guest speaker: Xiao Juyin We invited Ms. Hsiao, who is from Taiwan, to talk about the four festivals and the tourist spots and gourmet food around the festival locations, using videos, under the title "Festivals of Taiwan." ・Taiwan Lantern Festival, Taiwan's largest light festival, where giant lanterns and many brightly colored lanterns are displayed (location changes every year) ・The fantastic New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, where countless lanterns dance in the night sky (Taipei area) ・The impressive “Yenxuei Feng Pao” (Rocket Fireworks Festival) with over 1 million rockets and firecrackers (Tainan area) ・The Hualien County Harvest Festival is a comprehensive festival in which indigenous people give thanks to their ancestors and gods for a bountiful harvest and give performances. (Eastern Taiwan area) The lecture was a great success, with the 19 participants (including two children) asking many questions about the story and video of Taiwan's most attractive festival.
74th Afternoon Tea
Brazil you seem to know but don't know
Date and time: July 17, 2022 Guest speaker: Nelia Martins Alves We invited Nelia, who is from Brazil, to talk about Brazil in fluent Japanese. She talked about a wide range of topics, including the Brazilian flag, ethnic groups, Carnival, prices, eating habits, how to spend Christmas and New Year's, education, the gap between rich and poor, and the differences in customs between Japan and Brazil. They talked about a wide range of topics, including the Brazilian flag, ethnic groups, Carnival, prices, eating habits, how to spend Christmas and New Year's, education, the gap between rich and poor, and the differences in customs between Japan and Brazil. They also taught me some simple Portuguese greetings! Some of the participants lived in Brazil or had traveled there, and they listened intently to the talk. The venue was decorated with rare Brazilian folk art, allowing visitors to experience a glimpse of Brazilian culture. Although the number of people infected with the coronavirus was increasing, all 18 participants and 12 staff members were able to have a fun time, with thorough disinfection, temperature checks, and wearing masks.
73rd Afternoon Tea ~Italian flow matching~
Date and time: Saturday, March 5, 2022 Guest speaker: Mariangela Lago Born in Brescia, Northern Italy. She graduated from the National University of Milan, Department of Biology. She married pianist Takahiro Seki and came to Japan. She is currently a lecturer at Tokyo College of Music. She is a lecturer on NHK's "Italian Language Course" (2009). Italy She was awarded the title of honorary citizen by the city of Finale Ligure for her work in spreading Italian culture (2014). Courses with an Italian theme are also being offered throughout Japan. On Saturday, March 5th, she welcomed Mariangela, who spoke about the ``Italian Flowing Technique''. Mariangela grew up in a family where her parents and grandparents were educators, and she talked about the secrets of education that she cultivated there. She talked about 1) not giving too much advice, 2) praising her, and 3) giving her more responsibility, all while using her own experiences. She received many positive comments from the participants, such as, ``I took it as a very deep life lesson.It became a guideline for how I live my life.'' Although the event was held at a time when the virus had not yet fully subsided, some people commented that the small number of participants made it feel like home. Mariangela and her husband, Takahiro Seki, co-authored the books ``Brillante na Hibi'' and ``This makes sense! Easy-to-understand music terminology'' which have become long-sellers.
72nd Afternoon Tea
welcome! In the land of eternal summer, Indonesia
Date and time: Saturday, October 30, 2021 Format: Zoom Speaker: Sandy Cecilia Came to Japan in 2019 and enrolled in the doctoral program at Tokyo Institute of Technology, majoring in environmental studies. Her hobbies are swimming, music, and reading. He especially likes hearing stories and opinions. He loves Japanese breakfasts such as hot rice, kinpira burdock, miso soup, and grilled mackerel. She is studying at the Aoba International Exchange Lounge Japanese Class. The 72nd Afternoon Tea "Welcome to Indonesia, the land of eternal summer" was held on October 30th (Saturday). This was Afternoon Tea's first web-based event. Since it was our first time, all the staff had a hard time preparing, but we are glad that we were able to hold the event without any problems. There were 16 participants and 12 staff members. In Sandy's fluent Japanese, she introduced a wide range of information about Indonesia, using photos and maps, divided into 11 topics, including geography, history of the country, culture, food, clothing, shelter, and its relationship with Japan. The materials presented were designed to be very easy to understand, and the explanations were very easy to understand and I listened to them attentively. It was an opportunity for her to learn many things she didn't know before, such as the diverse cultures and ethnic groups in Indonesia. I also found it very interesting that there are similarities between Japanese and Indonesian languages. The participants included people who had done business in Indonesia and people who had come on vacation. I also believe that some of you may have deepened your interest in Indonesia after listening to today's talk, and may have felt that you would like to visit Indonesia. stomach She would be happy if she could deepen her knowledge and understanding about Indonesia. Thank you to everyone who participated. I hope that the next afternoon tea will be held face-to-face.
71st Afternoon Tea
My hometown Russia - A place connected to Tolstoy
Saturday, July 17, 2021 Guest speaker Sanya (real name: Alexander Kuznetsov) Originally from Tula. After graduating from university, he gets a job. He is interested in Japan and studies Japanese by himself. He came to Japan in April 2019. He is currently studying at Aoba International Exchange Lounge Japanese Classroom and Kanrin Japanese Language School. I want to work at a Japanese company in the future. His hobbies are reading and mountain climbing. We held the 71st Afternoon Tea "My Homeland: Tula, Russia" with the invitation of Sanya from Russia (real name Alexander Kuznetsov). He spoke in Japanese about Tula's history, industry, daily life, nature, and Tolstoy's hometown. Tula is a town on the Upa River, 165 km south of Moscow. In the Middle Ages, it was a fortified city. The steel industry flourished and many weapons were manufactured. The streets include ``Bayonet Street,'' ``Gunpowder Street,'' and ``Ammunition Street.'' given a name. Currently, there is a National Weapons Museum in the shape of a helmet. It is also a production area for samovars (Russian water heaters). Formal tea parties involve boiling water in a samovar, making tea, garnishing it with jam or honey, and eating gingerbread called pryanik. It is also a production area for the bayan, a musical instrument similar to an accordion. In the second verse of the Russian folk song ``Troika,'' there is a line that goes, ``Sound, young people's song, scream Bayan...'' The average winter temperature in Tula is -20 degrees, with record highs of -40 degrees. During the summer, many people spend their time in summer cottages called dachas, where they grow vegetables and fruits in preparation for the winter. Twelve kilometers southwest of Tula, about two hours by train, is Yasnaya Polyana, where the great writer Tolstoy was born and raised. ``War and Peace'' and ``Anna Karenina'' were written there. There is also Tolstoy's grave. It is now a museum. Sanya shared a famous quote by Tolstoy. “All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” ``If there were no suffering, humans would not know their limits, and they would not know who they are.'' I wouldn't have known." Throughout Sanya's lecture, he spoke in beautiful Japanese, savoring every word. His dedication and sincerity earned him a generous round of applause from the participants.
