On November 24, 2015 six members of the Kansai Consular Corps participated in a Shizuoka Study Tour jointly coordinated by the Shizuoka Prefecture Government-Osaka Office and the KCC.

The Kansai Consular Corps was represented by:

• Mr. Roderick Wols, Consul-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Dean of the Kansai Consular Corps
• Ms. Maria Teresa L. Taguiang, Consul-General Philippines
• Mr. Tran Duc Binh, Consul-General Vietnam
• Mr. Dusit Manapan, Consul-General Thailand
• Mr. T. Armstrong Changsan, Consul-General India
• Mr. Muhammad Naseer, Consul Pakistan

Our guides for this event were Mr. Inuzuka and Mr. Tsukamoto from the Shizuoka-Osaka office. Participants met at Shin-Osaka station and headed off to Shizuoka for an informative, pleasant, and action-filled day. The schedule was as follows:

• A visit to Kunozan-Toshogu Shrine (via the Nihondaira Ropeway) were we were received by the Chief Priest of the shrine. Kunozan-Toshogu is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun.
• Lunch at the elegant Nippondaira Hotel, overlooking majestic Mount Fuji.
• A tour of Shizuoka Prefecture Disaster Prevention Center, one of Japan’s foremost research centers dedicated to promoting disaster awareness.
• A courtesy call to the Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture (Governor Kawakatsu). Representatives of the Shizuoka government and the Kansai Consular Corps enthusiastically discussed various matters related to international exchange.

Lunch, Tour Shizuoka Disaster Prevention Center

Courtesy Call to the Governor of Shizuoka

With the historic Osaka double-election set to take place in late November 2015, Kansai Consular Corps members had the opportunity obtain the latest election news and analysis from Osaka politics expert Eric Johnston, reporter for the Japan Times. This was the first program in our newly inaugurated “KCC Lecture Series”.

The event took place at US Consul General Allen Greenberg’s residence on November 18^th, 2015. Over 18 Consuls-General, Consuls, and Honorary Consuls attended, representing 15 countries.

This session was on-the-record. Mr. Johnston, speaking in a personal capacity, discussed possible election outcomes and shared his opinions about how they might impact the local business and political environment.

A lively discussion followed in which Consuls asked questions regarding the evolving local and national political landscape.

Mr. Johnston has kindly offered to make his presentation available to anyone who may be interested. Please click this link to download a copy: KansaiConsularCorps.11-18-2015

After the event, Consul-General Wols (Netherlands) presented a certificate of appreciation to departing KCC member Consul-General Shearer (UK).

I hope everyone is adjusting back to office life smoothly after the New Year’s Holiday. Those of you viewing our website from laptop or computer devices may notice that we’ve changed the background of our homepage to feature “ume” (JApanese plum ). Ume is an early-blooming tree identified with the Japanese New Year.

Cheers to another wonderful and productive year for all!

We are now entering one of the busy seasons of the Kansai Consular Corps Calendar. Upcoming events include multiple new year parties, prefectural and municipal summits with governors and mayors, an opinion exchange with the Kansai Economic Federation, our very own KCC Annual General Meeting, and our first-ever Kansai Consular Corps sponsored event.

All of this to happen before the end of March 2016!

(And I haven’t even mentioned the G7 Summit.)

Government organizations currently planning their annual event for Consuls-General may wish to contact the KCC Executive Secretariat as quickly as possible to coordinate dates.

KCC members can expect a schedule update coming soon.

Best wishes to everyone during this busy and exciting time!

Wishing all our friends in here in Kansai, and around the world, a very peaceful and prosperous 2016!

Greetings from chilly but lovely Sannomiya!

I am delighted to share an invitation to this year’s “Japan Through Diplomats’ Eyes” Photo Exhibit, which has just come to Kansai area from Tokyo.

There are four Kansai Consular Corps members with photographs in the exhibit, including the Mr．Rafael Aparicio, Consul-General of Panama in Kobe.

The exhibit will continue until January 21st, 2016 at the Hyogo International Plaza (open 10:30-18:30 Mondays through Friday excluding the holiday).

We look forward to seeing you there!

I’m very excited to have gotten my hands on this year’s printed edition of the diplomats’ photograph project.

The title this year is “Hidden Japan 2015, through Diplomats’ Eyes”. Three members of the Kansai Consular Corps are featured.

The exhibit is currently in Tokyo and will be coming to Hyogo at the end of this year.

More details to come soon!

Congratulations and warm thanks to all the KCC participants.

Sending warm wishes from the KCC office in Sannomiya on this chilly and rainy Autumn evening.

This is a summary of a recent KCC event from the Office of the Secretariat.

By informal invitation of the 青年団 (community youth organization), members of the Kansai Consular Corps participated in Ikuno Ward’s (Osaka Prefecture) Autumn Festival Danjiri Matsuri on October 15, 2015.
KCC members were warmly welcomed by the organization’s leaders and community members, including Mr. Hidemi Asakura (朝倉 秀実, 大阪府議会議員), Representative of the Osaka Prefectural Assembly and Ikuno-ku community resident.

The Kansai Consular Corps was represented that evening by Mr. Muhammed Naseer, Consul of Pakistan-Osaka, along with several guests. Mrs. Kitakado and Mrs. Yasunari, residents of Ikuno Ward, kindly guided Consul Naseer and our group through the bustling, energetic crowds. They explained the history of the festival as well as the meaning of the various objects and Danjiri used in the matsuri.

The evening was action-packed. As drums furiously pounded in the background, children of competing neighborhood teams chanted. KCC participants were invited to wear Japanese Happi and climb onto the Danjiri for photos.
In addition to the parade and the performances, one local family (the Okada Family) invited KCC members to their home for sushi dinner and a rest. KCC members were therefore able to experience Japanese-style hospitality inside a 300 year old home. Mrs. Okada gave us a brief explanation of some architectural features which are no longer used in modern homes. Participants were able to share information about their respective countries, and new friendships were formed.

Before the festival ended, KCC members also payed their respects to the local shrine.

The KCC would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to our gracious hosts in Ikuno-ward for a memorable evening!

Link to the Ikuno-ku youth group: http://四條青年団.net/

Greetings from Sannomiya, where the crispness of Autumn can increasingly be felt in the morning air.

I’m excited to share this invitation for the 2015 Russian Festival with you! The festival will happen in Kobe City on Saturday, October 24th from 11:00am-17:00pm at the Kobe Kinrou-Kaikan 7th Floor (map available at link below).

The event is co-sponsored by the Consulate-General of Russia-Osaka and also receives the endorsement of Kobe City. The official link to the festival is available here: http://www.russian-festival-kobe.com/

The event features Russian food, music, crafts, and a bazaar where you can purchase Russian goods. Here is a brief overview of the schedule in English and Russian. It looks to be a lot of fun, and I hope to see you there!

開催日時 : 10月24日(土)　11:00～17:00

会場 : 神戸市勤労会館

 共催 : 在大阪ロシア連邦総領事館

後援 : 神戸市、神戸新聞社(予定)

The Kansai Consular Corps is pleased to share this invitation from the Indonesia Consulate regarding a traditional Indonesian Dance and Music performance. The performance is free and open to the public, but an advance reservation is required.

Reservations in English: Call Tamara at 080-4567-1756

Date and Time: Saturday October 10thfrom 13:00~16:00.

Place: Minoh City  (Osaka Prefecture) Minoh Green Hall, Nishishoji 6-6-1

This is a very special opportunity to experience the traditional Indonesian arts – hope to see you there!

2015年度インドネシア伝統芸術公演

「ハヌマンの修行の旅」

今年も在日インドネシア留学生協会大阪・奈良支部は箕面市立市民会館(グリーンホール)にて10月10日(土)に「インドネシア伝統芸術公演: ハヌマンの修行の旅」を行います。

本イベントは去年のイベントと違い、「ハヌマンの修行の旅」をテーマとする演劇のコンセプトを通し、インドネシアの伝統楽器や舞踊などを演奏します。

本イベントでは、身近にあまり見られないインドネシアの文化が経験できるので、多くの皆様のお越しをお待ちしております。

会場：箕面市立市民会館（グリーンホール)

大阪府箕面市西小路4-6-1 (http://goo.gl/maps/axNKx)

日時 ：2015年10月10日 (土)

13:00〜16:00（開場 12:30）

本イベントは入場無料ですが、予約が必要です。

予約用のリンクはこちら：http://qrs.ly/tc4m0v7

詳しい情報はこちら：

> 公式サイト：

http://jp.psi.ppion.org (日本語)

http://psi.ppion.org (英語)

> フェースブック：

「Indonesian Performing Arts 2015」http://www.facebook.com/on.psi2015

It is a lovely, crisp Autumn morning at the KCC office in Sannomiya, Kobe. I hope you are all doing well and feeling refreshed from the weekend.

I am very pleased to share information about an event that is stirring a lot of buzz in Kobe – the 2015 Indian Mela event. This three day event will take place in Kobe Meriken Park from October 10~October 12th.

Highlights of the event include: Indian food, traditional Indian music and entertainment, as well as “Minna de Odoro” Bollywood event in which participants can dance together in Bollywood style.

This event is extremely popular and open to the public for free, so please be sure to stop by and have some fun!

Event Website: http://indiamela.so-good.jp