Tea Time Sutra Copying (December 2024)

【Jigenji Temple & Ichirodo Cafe】

10 participants from Japan, China, and the U.S. came together for a day of fun. Activities included Buddhist sutra copying, card games, and eating wagashi sweets, all while forming new friendships along the way.

Japanese Home Cooking Class (December 2024)

【Chuo Kominkan】

This Cool Takasaki event showed particpants from America, China, and Peru how to make a typical home cooked meal. The menu included grilled fish with mushrooms, tonjiru soup, and manju cakes. The class was taught by Noriko Yoshida of Noriko’s Cooking Studio.

Japanese Language Learning Support Training (2024)

Japanese class volunteers are given opportunities to hone their skills with yearly training sessions. This year’s sessions will take place over 3 dates, each with a different topic. The first one brought volunteers from different classes together to share advice and find new resources over light refreshments.

Takasaki International Festival (October 2024)

【Viento Takasaki】

Nearly 2,000 people turned out for the 32nd Takasaki International Festival and JOMO JET’s International Carnival. Among the many booths, food stalls, and stage performances, visitors had the chance to encounter cultures from almost every corner of the globe.

Spanish Classes (2024)

【Chuo Kominkan】

This 10 week course was led by a former JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer who was stationed in Paraguay. Participants studied Spanish for the first time, learning basic pronunciation, essential vocabulary, and expressions used in daily life.

Field Trip (August 2024)

TIRS volunteers & staff led a group of 29 parents and children on a field trip to Tokyo, where participants visited both the JICA World Plaza and the Yomiuri Shimbun main office.

These experiences gave insight to developing countries and Japan’s international role with them, as well as the opportunity to learn about the country of Uganda, presented by a former Overseas Cooperation Volunteer who had been stationed there. Participants also got a glimps of the world of news reporting, including the chance to edit a newspaper article.

Tabunka Salon: Italy (July 2024)

【Chuo Kominkan】

Participants learned about Italy and its beautiful culture from local resident Matteo. Topics ranged from sightseeing spots to the education system, including an introduction to popular gestures essential for communicating in Italian. Participants even got a taste of Italy through a variety of drinks and snacks.

Cool Takasaki (July 2024)

【Cocoon craft event】

Participants joined TIRS for a guided tour of the Nippon Silk Center, where they got to learn all about silkworms and the history of silk production. There were live silkworms, beautifully dyed kimono, and artwork made from cocoons on display throughout two different exhibitions.

After the guided tour, participants did their own cocoon craft (a beautiful flower made from white and yellow silkworm cocoons) which they got to take home afterwards.