Events
>Call for Audiences: The 15th English Speech Contest
- Date & Time: Saturday, February 14, 2:00 p.m.
Call for Audiences: The 10th Japanese Speech Contest by Foreign Residents in Kashiwa”
NEW！
＜Online International Exchange Salon＞
- Date & Time: Thursday, February 19, 20:00–21:00
NEW！
Hina Dolls Festival Meetup
- Date & Time: Saturday, February 21, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
NEW！
Early Spring Walking Tour: Tour of the Hina Doll Displays at Yoshida Residence and Daitoin Temple
- Date & Time: Sunday, February 22,12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
NEW！
Cross-cultural Teatime～Burkina Faso
- Date & Time: Saturday, February 28, 14:00–15:30
NEW！
Free Legal Advice and Administrative Procedure Support for Foreign Residents
- Date & Time: Wednesday, February 25 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Call for Audiences: The 15th English Speech Contest
Date & Time: Saturday, February 14, 2:00 p.m.
Place: Amuser Kashiwa Crystal Hall
Contents: Ten contestants residing, working, or studying in Kashiwa (junior high school age and above) will give speeches on themes of their choice.
Admission is free. Awards include the Kashiwa Mayor's Award, Audience Award, and other awards. We hope you will attend. For details, please visit our website.
Call for Audiences: The 10th Japanese Speech Contest by Foreign Residents in Kashiwa”
Foreign residents will speak in Japanese about their experiences living in Japan and their home countries.
Date & Time: Sunday, February 15, noon - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa Open Space
Viewing Registration: Directly at the KCC Office or email to <boshu-1@kira-kira.jp>.
Number of Applicants: ① Venue: 70 people ② Live Stream: 100 people
For details, please visit our website.
NEW！Online International Exchange Salon – Connect with the World of Sign Language
Let’s enjoy communicating using easy sign language.
Date & Time: Thursday, February 19, 20:00–21:00
Instructor: Ms. Masako Ishii (Sign Language Instructor)
Format: Online (Zoom)
Participation Fee: Free
Capacity: First 30 people who can use the Zoom web conferencing app
How to Apply: From 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 1, apply directly to the KCC office or by email at boshu-1@kira-kira.jp
The participation URL will be sent to all participants on the day of the event.
NEW！Hina Dolls Festival Meetup
Join us in making Japanese-style flower arrangements and celebrating the traditional event, Hinamatsuri!
Date & Time: Saturday, February 21, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa, Multipurpose Space A
Fee: ¥1,800 (includes flower materials)
Number of applicants: First 15 people, residents of Kashiwa city or surrounding areas. Elementary school children must be accompanied by a guardian.
Application:Directly at the KCC office or by email to boshu-1@kira-kira.jp from Sunday, February 1.
NEW！Early Spring Walking Tour: Tour of the Hina Doll Displays at Yoshida Residence and Daitoin Temple
Let’s walk from TX Kashiwanoha Campus Station to tour the Yoshida Residence, a National Important Cultural Property, and view the Hina Doll displays. (Approx. 5km)
Date & Time: Sunday, February 22,12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Meeting/Dismissal: TX Kashiwanoha Campus Station, East Exit
Number of applicants: First 15 people
Fee: ¥500 (includes sweet Azuki bean soup)
Application: Directly at the KCC Office or by email toboshu-1@kira-kira.jp.
*Wear comfortable walking clothes and shoes. Bring drinks, a towel, etc.
*You may leave early at the Yoshida Residence or Daitoin Temple.
NEW！Cross-cultural Teatime～Burkina Faso
“Burkina Faso: Land of Noble People - Those Fighting Desertification in the Sahel Region”
We will hear about community-based international cooperation initiatives in the Sahel region of West Africa,
including efforts to confront ongoing desertification by working hand-in-hand with local people and utilizing traditional agricultural techniques.
Date & Time: Saturday, February 28, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa Meeting Rooms B & C
Lecturer: Noriko Tamura (Former staff of NGO Green Sahel)
Number of applicants: 50 Fee: ¥400
Application: Directly at KCC Office or by email to boshu-1@kira-kira.jp.
NEW！Free Legal Advice and Administrative Procedure Support for Foreign Residents
To foreign residents. Are you in need of help? Lawyers and administrative procedure specialists are available for consultation. You can ask for specialists’
advice on issues such as family or partner violence,divorce, visa procedures, and problems at work. Reservation necessary.
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 25 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Place: Palette Kashiwa MTR A Reservation: the KCC Office
Project
| Project Event | Team & Place |
|---|---|
| Japanese Speech Contest for Foreigners | Feb. Palette Kashiwa Open Space |
| International Exchange Week | Jun. Palette Kashiwa Open Space |
| Kashiwa de International Exchange Festa | Oct Nowdy Mall |
Kashiwa International Exchange Week 2025
Held from June 23–28, this event welcomed 62 foreigners from 14 countries. With support from local universities and language schools, participants enjoyed cultural exchange,
including Yosakoi dancing and open discussions about life in Japan. Voices highlighted challenges like housing, workplace communication, and cultural understanding.
・Refugee Seminar
A seminar explored the real-life struggles of refugees in Japan—language, housing, and employment—and emphasized the importance of mutual support for coexistence.
・Multicultural Coexistence Seminar
Kaichi International University shared its journey of welcoming international students and stressed the value of diversity and gratitude toward those learning Japanese.
Kashiwa de International Exchange Festa 2024
Held at Howdy Mall on October 14, this lively street event featured global food, performances, and cultural booths, inviting citizens to “see, taste, and dance” around the world.
Japanese Speech Contest by Foreign Residents
Since 2016, foreign residents have shared their experiences in Japanese. The 9th contest in February 2025 featured 14 speakers from 8 countries, deepening mutual understanding and celebrating language learning.
(1)Kashiwa de International Exchange Festa 2023 was held!
The festival was scheduled for October 15th at Howdy Mall, but due to bad weather, it was postponed to November 12th. It was done in Palette Kashiwa. On the day of the event, various committee booths of the Kashiwa City International Exchange Association will hold events and exhibits to introduce international exchange activities. In addition, the Japan-Southeast Europe Economic Exchange Association will be selling Bulgarian products, and Mr. Lumbini will be holding a cross-cultural event. Food and drink sales were also held, and the event was a great success.
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(2) International Exchange Week
We hold an "International Exchange Week" for the public to learn about the city's international exchange activities.In November 2020, due to the Corona disaster, an online workshop was held to learn about refugees, and seminars and lectures were also held.
In the future, we will cooperate with other international exchange organizations in Kashiwa to introduce international exchange activities of the city as a whole.
◆2020 Events◆
(1) Puppet show "Red Riding Hood" performed by foreign members, distributed on YouTube
(2) Lecture: "Drinking, eating and walking in Mauritania and Senegal".
(3) Multicultural coexistence seminar: "Don't go in, don't go out, from diversity to champuru culture".
(4) Online Workshop: "What is a refugee?”
(5) Display:
① The exhibition of photos of the late Mr. Tetsu Nakamura's activities (Peshawar-kai), “International Contribution in a Different Culture”
② The History of Friendship Time: the Exhibition of International Understanding Lecture
③ The display of disaster for foreigners: multi-language materials, disaster prevention maps, distribution of emergency food, and the 20 kinds of disaster prevention products.
④ Display of photos of Kashiwa City's international exchange activities.
(3) Japanese Speech Contest for Foreigners
The purpose of this contest is for foreign residents living, working, or studying in Kashiwa City to present their thoughts on living in Japan in Japanese.
The event encourages foreign residents to study Japanese, and Japanese people to deepen their understanding of foreign people.
Since 2017, we have expanded the scope of participants to include not only Kashiwa City but also the Tokatsu region.
Although we were unable to hold the 2020 conference due to the Corona disaster, we have prepared a "speech manuscript collection" for those who are scheduled to present.
We believe that the more Japanese citizens learn about the voices of foreign residents, the more they will get to know each other. We will build a "multicultural society" by accepting each other's differences in language, customs, and culture.
Event Report
Visiting Sumo Dojo in Kashiwa (Nov.20,2025)
On a warm sunny autumn day, we held a meetup program at the Kashiwa Youth Sumo Dojo. Fifteen participants, including three foreigners, observed the powerful training sessions up close. After that, the participants tried shiko (stomping) and suriashi (foot sliding). Their unfamiliar movements brought smiles all around. Later in the event, all 34 people there — including the instructor, staff, and young sumo wrestlers — mingled. During interviews with the young wrestlers, their candid words and smiles uplifted everyone there. The instructor's talk on the spirit nurtured through sumo also deeply impressed the participants. Feedback included comments like, “I'll praise my child when I get home,”
“It was my first time seeing sumo live — truly wonderful,” and “I learned a lot,” which reaffirmed the event's significance..
See Link>>>
Halloween Party with Foreign Residents（Oct.25,2025)
We held this event in collaboration with Palette Kashiwa. Led mainly by our international staff, the venue was decorated with pumpkins, spiders, skeletons, and other Halloween-themed items, creating a festive atmosphere. A total of 85 participants joined, including 38 children and 23 foreign residents.
The children said “Trick or Treat!” and received candies in handmade bags prepared by the staff. They listened to a Halloween picture book read in both English and Japanese, learned the names of skeleton parts in English while dancing, and then arranged the skeleton pieces while blindfolded. Children dressed as ghosts, Spider-Man, princesses, pumpkins, and more received prizes in the costume contest.
To wrap up the event, everyone took turns hitting a pumpkin-shaped piñata to collect the treats inside, bringing the party to a cheerful close.
See Link>>>
Kashiwa de International Exchange Festa (Oct.19,2025)
The event was held on the pedestrian-only street of Howdy Mall at the east exit of Kashiwa Station, under the theme “A World of Mutual Recognition, Expanding Friendship—From Right Here in Kashiwa.”
Many residents enjoyed casual international交流 through performances featuring dances and music from Japan and around the world, informational booths introducing various activities, and food from different countries.
At a time when wars and conflicts continue across the globe and divisions among people are deepening, this year’s festival theme feels especially meaningful.
See Link>>>
World BBQ Party (Sep.20,2025)
A total of 24 foreign participants and 30 Japanese participants gathered at the Mizushiro Orchard in Nagareyama City and enjoyed lively interaction through a barbecue. Everyone was delighted with the dishes prepared by KIRA members, including Indonesian fried rice, Thai spicy glass‑noodle salad, Filipino grilled chicken and pork, fruit salad, Brazilian hot dogs, Chinese/Taiwanese grilled beef, Peruvian grilled beef heart skewers, potatoes with chili sauce, and Japanese yakisoba.
After the meal, the group had great fun with an Indonesian “fried rice cracker eating race,” a playful twist on the traditional Japanese “bread-eating race.” The prizes for the bingo game were provided through staff donations and were very well received.
Date & Time: Saturday, September 20, 11:00–13:00
See Link>>>
Kashiwa dispatched student “Visit to Torrance” August 4-22, 2025
The student delegation from Kashiwa City visited Torrance.
Period: August 4–22, 2025
See Link>>>
Torrance City Youth Visit Kashiwa（July 9-29, 2025）
We carried out the student exchange program with the City of Torrance again this year.
Period: July 9–29, 2025
See Link>>>
“Yukata Dressing Experience” (July 16, 2025)
Just before the end of the rainy season, an event to welcome summer was held. Although the group was small with six participants, it included men and students, and people from three countries—Kyrgyzstan, China, and Japan—took part in the yukata dressing experience. Communication required more than just Japanese and English, so translation apps also played a helpful role.
Following the instructor’s clear explanations and demonstrations, participants worked on putting on their yukata, with staff stepping in to assist whenever they noticed someone struggling with a tricky part. For those trying on a yukata for the first time, comments like “It’s so beautiful” and “I enjoyed experiencing a Japanese summer tradition” were shared with bright smiles. Even participants already familiar with yukata said, “I learned a new way to tie the obi,” clearly pleased.
After dressing, everyone formed a circle and danced the Kashiwa Odori. Moving together helped break the ice naturally, and despite the heat, the atmosphere felt refreshing and full of warmth.
See Link>>>
Torrance student kashiwa (July 2024)
This year as well, we held a temporary student exchange with the city of Torrance.
Implementation date and time: July 10th to July 30th, 2024
See Link>>>
Experience of Coloring a Yuzen Handkerchief (Japanese Culture Experience)
We held a "Handkerchief Yuzen" as a Japanese culture experience with the participation of many people.
Everyone commented, "It was my first experience, but it was a lot of fun," "It was a good experience," "I wanted to continue coloring a little longer,"
"I was happy that it turned out better than I expected," and it was clear that they enjoyed the experience.
Date and Time: Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 10:30-12:30
See Link>>>
Friendship Time <"Chad, a country of scorching desert and gentle people - overcoming war and regaining hope">(1th June 2024)
We were able to touch on the lecturer's passion for the people of Africa, who "loves Africa" due to his experiences in Cameroon and Chad.
Date and Time: June 1st (Sat) 14:00-15:30
See Link>>>
Friendship Time "The Extended Geography of Chile from North to South" (13th April 2024)
The lecture was given by Alemijo Joaquin, a Chilean visiting the astrophysics research institute at the University of Tokyo's Kashiwa Campus.
The lecture was conducted in English with an interpreter.
He introduced the Republic of Chile's diverse natural environment, history, food culture, and more.
Date and time: April 13th (Sat) 13:00-14:30
See Link>>>
