2007 Asia-Pacific Festival
More than 100 ambassadors from nine countries participated in the April 2007 Asia-Pacific Festival in Aichi, Japan. The festival was born out of the former Asia-Pacific conferences in which Friendship Force volunteers, mainly from Asia, would come together on an annual basis to discuss matters relating to their clubs and exchanges and share their perspectives on the Friendship Force in their region. By contrast, the festival is a four-day event where people gather to socialize, learn about each other and have a wonderful time with friends, old and new.
The first festival was held in New Plymouth, New Zealand with a second in Newcastle, Australia, two years later. The 2007 festival in Aichi was therefore the third of its kind and saw participation from Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and from as far away as the UK!
It was ideally scheduled during Japan’s famous cherry blossom season. After the welcome dinner on the first night, participants chose from a series of offered activities: tours of Nagoya Castle, the Toyota plant, Tokugawa Museum, Hikone Castle, the historic old capital of Kyoto, the Kirin brewery, Noritake Gardens and the Toyota Techno Museum. There was a mixture of both sadness and joy at the farewell party as the festival came to a close and the participants made their way to different parts of the country to enjoy the hospitality of club members in Gifu, Mie, Nara, Ota-Gunma, Shizuoka, Tokyo and Western Tokyo.
Blessed with the fine weather and cherry blossoms in full bloom, the festival was a resounding success. Sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Hachiro Kato, the Aichi festival committee and all the Aichi club members – as well as the Japanese clubs who opened their homes and hearts for the post-festival hosting this year.
The 2009 Asia-Pacific festival will be held in magnificent Oregon, in the northwest USA. Details will be available in early 2008 so you will have plenty of time to plan your participation!
