Hyogo Prefecture put out stall at ‘Wabi’ Japanese food festival in Victoria, London
JLGC staff assisted Hyogo Prefecture at ‘WABI: A Taste of Japan’, a brand new Japanese food, drink and culture show in July. After each session’s traditional opening ceremony of “kagami biraki”, visitors were treated to live food workshops and demos and had the opportunity to meet the Japanese producers first hand to taste hundreds of saké and shochu, whisky and gin followed by delicious Japanese food.
Hyogo Prefecture put out a stall at the Linday Hall event near London Victoria station, with staff from the Prefecture promoting saké from the region including the famous Yamada Nishiki and Hyogo Nishiki, a famous variety of rice used in the production of high quality saké. Visitors were given samples to try and there were explanations of the difference in quality and taste between ginjo, daiginjo and junmai grades of saké.
Kobe visits Liverpool
Delegates from Kobe City Government travelled to Liverpool in July, accompanied by JLGC staff in meetings with colleagues from Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Vision and FACT, (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) a leading UK media arts centre, based in Liverpool offering a unique programme of exhibitions, film and participant-led art projects, using the power of creative technology to inspire and enrich lives. Many of the discussions focused on the potential for these two great port cities to cooperate in the future, on a wide range of projects including economic partnerships and cultural links.
Liverpool Assistant Mayor Cllr Gary Miller met with the Kobe Delegation to discuss current trends in the city, and was joined by colleagues from Marketing Liverpool, Invest Liverpool and the International Business Festival 2018 to talk over potential joint projects and ways of making international links meaningful for both cities. Many thanks to all staff at Liverpool Vision on the day and FACT for meeting with the group and extending a very warm welcome.
JLGC takes part in JET 2017 Orientation, Queen Mary University of London
JLGC staff attended the annual JET Programme Pre-departure orientation at Queen Mary University in London in July to present on support and training available on offer from CLAIR (JLGC’s parent body) for those 154 new participants in the programme this year, who are now currently employed by local authorities through Japan. Participants are placed with a local authority in Japan (the Contracting Organization) which is their employer. Participants flew out to Japan in August for the start of Japanese summer term in September.
There are 47 prefectural governments and 12 city governments, as well as numerous individual city, town and village governments and some private schools designated as Contracting Organisations, in semi-rural or rural placements, and participants may be placed anywhere in Japan. In total, in 2017 there are 423 UK graduates working as Assistant Language Teachers or Coordinator for International Relations (with business level Japanese language skills), as well as 98 from the Republic of Ireland and smaller numbers from Germany and other countries in Europe.
Exhibiting at HYPER JAPAN
JLGC again put out our tent at HYPER JAPAN in July. First held in 2010, HYPER JAPAN promotes all aspects of Japanese culture, encompassing food, traditional culture, music, fashion, gaming, manga, anime and cosplay, and it is the biggest event of its kind in the UK, in terms of both numbers of visitors and exhibitors.
This 12th event attracted around 80,000 Japan fans, ranging from teenagers to seniors. The event was held at the largescale Tobacco Dock venue, a Grade 1 listed building located just one stop from Bank, London’s financial hub, convenient for those arriving from central London as well as the suburbs. This time over 300 companies, organizations and individuals exhibited.
The festival brings together leading members of Japanese fashion, cooking and technology, and highlights include a saké tasting session, traditional artwork exhibitions and an origami crafting station.
JLGC has been in attendance since the first event, displaying and promoting tourist information from the 47 prefectures and municipalities within them, as well as giving travel advice and carrying out market research on tourist needs and perceptions of Japan as a travel destination.
JETAA Midyear meeting and ‘saké tasting’ seminar with JLGC
The JET Alumni Association UK annual mid-year meeting was held at Japan Local Government Centre’s London office (JETAA UK’s main sponsor) in Whitehall on 19 August, with representatives from the UK’s current active chapters, all discussing events and activities over the last year and strategies to improve engagement and member attendance at events in 2017.
The day was finished off with a saké and food tasting evening for those who took part in the day, and alumni were joined by JLGC staff, who are seconded from a variety of local authorities all over Japan. It was a chance for the new JLGC Director Mr Yoshiyuki Kurono to meet with JETAA UK committee members and volunteers. The evening was presided over by Mr Daiki Yoshijima, seconded from Wakayama Prefecture who gave an explanation of the differences in saké grading between junmai-shu, honjozo, ginjo-shu, daiginjo-shu and namazake, as well as pairing with a variety of foods such as cheese, pickles, cured meats, Spanish style tapas and, in a surprise to most attending, curry.
JETAA UK offers to support to the 10,000 plus UK alumni of the JET Programme, and helps to promote the aims of the project which is Japan’s premier government-sponsored cultural exchange and teaching programme now running for over 30 years.
