Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Harvest Festival 第17回 国際交流ふれあい農園収穫祭

On September 4th, I had the opportunity to go to the 17th annual International Harvest Festival in Fukuchiyama. The Seika Global Network, an international exchange organization in Seika, organized a trip and kindly asked me to come. And of course I’m not going to say no to a festival. The festival was packed to the brim with kids, international residents, and people looking to learn and interact in an open environment.

9月4日に精華町を拠点に活動する国際交流団体せいかグローバルネットの皆さんと京都府福知山市で開催の「第17回国際交流ふれあい農園収穫祭」に行かせてもらった。この祭では、子どもや外国人住民とふれあいたい人などで混み合っていた。


The event started off with Nagashi-somen, where you have to catch somen noodles as they flow down a bamboo gutter. It was a lot of fun battling for the noodles with the kids next to me, but thankfully there was more than enough for everybody to have some.

この祭は流しそうめんから始まった。竹製のといを使って素麺を流し、箸で捕まえてめんつゆ等に付けて食べる。隣の子どもさんとちょっとバトルしたけど、結局皆が十分食べられた。
Nagashi Somen 流しそうめん 第17回 国際交流ふれあい農園収穫祭


Next up was the mochi-making; a traditional Japanese activity that everyone, from the Japanese kids to the international visitors had a chance to try. Basically, you use a large wooden hammer, and smash rice in a wooden bowl, while a partner keeps the rice together and wet. I wasn’t exactly the most skilled mochi-maker, and I may have nearly hit a few people on the back swing, but it was still a lot of fun. Plus, we got to eat the mochi we helped make afterwards!

次は餅つきで、子どもさんから外国人までさせてもらった。私は、杵が周りの人に当りそうなほどちょっと危なくて下手だったけど、本当に楽しかった。そして、作ったもちを食べられたから、最高だった!
Kai Making Mochi カイ 餅つき 第17回 国際交流ふれあい農園収穫祭


During all of this there were dances, games, and farming activities like sweet potato picking that everybody got involved in. I was really impressed with how outgoing many of the kids were at the festival, and I was often invited by them to take part in the games or activities. It was also a great chance for international residents to meet and greet, and I had the chance to speak with a group of girls from China, a woman from Argentina, and a guy from Ohio in the states!

祭で踊りやゲームや芋堀もあって、皆が参加していた。そして、祭にいた子どもは本当に外交的でよく僕をゲームなどに誘ってくれたので、びっくりした。そして、外国人住民とも話せたから、本当にいいイベントだった。私は中国人の女の子達やアルゼンチンからきた女の人、そしてアメリカのオハイオ州出身の男性などと話せた。



The festival finished off with a BBQ, and performances ranging from flamenco dancing to Japanese Taiko. Unfortunately our group had to leave before the fireworks, but it was still a great day. If you have any interest in getting involved with the Seika Global Network and their events and activities, check out the link below.

最後にバーベキューがあって、フラメンコと太鼓の演奏もあった。残念ながら、花火の前に帰らなければならなかったけど、本当に最高な日だった。もし、せいかグローバルネットに興味があったら、是非リンクを見てください。



2 comments:

  1. Kai,

    You may want to link to Norman's Sister City organization PASSPORTS wiki http://passports.pbworks.com/FrontPage . I'm not the best at updating it, but it does show some of the things we are doing throughout the year.

    Marles Bradley
    President, PASSPORTS

    ReplyDelete
  2. More than happy too. I'm glad you found the website. I had been meaning to send an e-mail letting you know about it, but you beat me to it. If there's anything else about Norman or PASSPORTS you want me to add or edit, just let me know.

    ReplyDelete