CLAIR NEWS

Welcome to the 100th issue of our newsletter!

Thank you so much for your continued support.

We at CLAIR Sydney are always trying to provide content that interests

our readers.

Now, to celebrate the 100th issue, we would like to look back at our

inaugural edition and show you the contents page

– published back in June 1995!

Content included…

Greeting from CLAIR (former Chairman, Mr Shigeichi Mori)

Message from Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)

(former President, Mayor David Plumridge AM)

Question & Answer Forum (basic facts about the Japanese local government system)

What’s happening in Japanese Local Governments?

Local Authorities Centre for International Cooperation Opens

Quarterly Highlights <Click here to see the PDF version>

It’s been over 20 years since our first newsletter and as you can see, quite a lot has changed since then. For

example, the number of local governments in Japan has decreased from 3,281 to 1718 due to

amalgamations, and the numbers of sister cities in Japan has increased from 1,092 to 1694. Within this

increase, the sister city relationships between Japan and Australia have risen from 73 to 108, and for Japan

and New Zealand from 25 to 41.

Once again, we really appreciate your support and cooperation over the past 20 years. We hope we can have

even more opportunities to support and interact with many people and organisations in Japan, Australia and

New Zealand!

From everyone at CLAIR Sydney

Page 1

Newsletter Issue

No.100 June 2016

Japan Local Government Centre

(CLAIR, Sydney)

This issue includes:

1 CLAIR NEWS

2 Festivals around Japan

2 Tottori International Comic Art Contest

3 Meeting with Sister Cities NZ and JETAA NZ

3 2016 LGPA National Congress

4 Supporting Matsudo city

4 Akiko Ikeuchi Exhibition at the Japan Foundation

5 Snow Travel Expo and Japan Snow

& Adventure Travel Mart

6 Travel journal from the Editor – Kochi

7-8 JETAA New Zealand Activities

9 From the Director

Page 2

Festivals around Japan: Vol. 8 Ide Town, Kyoto

- Cherry blossom and Firefly Festival ‘OIDEYASU (welcome in Japanese) IDE TOWN’

You will be warmly greeted with the friendly Kyoto dialect phrases like oideyasu when you visit during the

town festival. Let us look at the trees along the river, an area made up of more than 500 cherry blossom trees

spanning over 1,500 meters on both sides of the river. You may feel like you are in a tunnel of flowers!

Moreover, people enjoy yozakura, illuminated cherry blossoms at night.

Let us continue our imaginary tour to the weeping cherry blossoms in the temple, which are graceful and

romantic. We can also enjoy many fireflies glowing along the river in the park during summer. It’s a truly

amazing scene. The whole town works hard to keep the river, park and temple clean. It makes you feel like

you are in a fairytale. Please come to meet the friendly people and experience the nature of Ide town!

It’s a convenient location and only takes 30 minutes to get to Ide town from the center of Kyoto.

http://www.town.ide.kyoto.jp/soshiki/kikakuzaiseika/photonews/1400048828403.html

The 5th Annual Manga Kingdom Tottori International Comic Art Contest

This comic art contest is an event to help people become more familiar with manga.

The contest is now accepting art submissions (until 31 August 2016)

For more details, please visit this site: http://www.pref.tottori.lg.jp/238597.htm

<Submission Period>

25 April to 31 August 2016

<Theme>

“Heroes and Heroines” <Organiser>

Tottori Prefectural Government

Culture and Tourism Bureau, Tourism Policy Division

Manga Kingdom Secretariat

1-220 Higashi-Machi Tottori City Tottori Prefecture

680-8570 JAPAN

Page 3

Meeting with Sister Cities NZ and JETAA NZ

On 14 May, CLAIR Sydney organised a meeting with

Sister Cities New Zealand (SCNZ) and JETAA NZ in

Wellington, New Zealand. We discussed how we can

best cooperate and/or collaborate. It was a great

opportunity for us to talk about several important

topics such as promoting sister-city relationships.

During the meeting, SCNZ presented to JETAA NZ a

certificate of appreciation in recognition of JETAA

chapters’ activities promoting sister-city

relationships. The members of JETAA NZ looked

pleasantly surprised to get the certificate! CLAIR

Sydney also received a certificate of appreciation for

supporting SCNZ.

2016 Local Government Professionals, Australia (LGPA) National Congress

On May 4-6, the

LGPA National

Congress and

Business Expo

was held on the

Gold Coast,

Queensland. CLAIR Sydney took this opportunity to

introduce our activities as well as promote Japan

tourism and sister-city relationships between

Australia and Japan at our exhibition booth. It was

also a good opportunity to connect with the

attendees who were mainly from local governments.

We were glad to talk with all who dropped by our

booth.

Furthermore, during the Congress, we were invited

to attend the LGPA International Committee

meeting. At the meeting, we got to know about

issues and challenges facing the LGPA. We also

talked about our efforts in Australia and reaffirmed

the possibility to collaborate with the LGPA in the

near future. We look forward to maintaining good

relationships with the LGPA.

We appreciate all the people who we met during the

congress and we hope to collaborate with them in

the future.

Page 4

Supporting Matsudo city at Prahran Market and the Japan Festival

On 14 May, “Matsudo Day” was held at Prahran Market to

promote products from Matsudo city in Chiba prefecture,

their tourist destinations, as well as their sister-city

relationship with the City of Whitehorse. They offered visitors

canapes made with spring onions and rice-flour dumplings

made in Matsudo. The spring-onion canapes, in particular,

were a hit with the people at the market.

On 15 May, Matsudo city also manned a booth at the Japan

festival, which displayed beautiful photographs depicting the

four seasons of the city, and gave live demonstrations of papercraft dragonflies (a Japanese toy). There was

also a samurai performance where people could get up close

and personal with traditional Japanese armour. Many people

of all ages gathered to watch this performance.

May 2016 marked the 45th anniversary of the relationship

between Matsudo and Whitehorse. It was a milestone

anniversary for the two cities, making the celebrations even

more special. We look forward to promoting the sister-city

relationship between these two cities in the future.

Art & Culture – Akiko Ikeuchi Exhibition at the Japan Foundation Gallery

CLAIR Sydney visited the Japan Foundation on 9 July to see

the silk-thread installations and other works by Akiko

Ikeuchi. It was the first solo exhibition in Australia for the

Tokyo artist, who has specialised in using silk thread as a

medium to create intricate and delicate, but at the same

time, dynamic and thought-provoking suspended

installations.

Her silk-thread creations are painstakingly knotted

together using only her hands and they can take up to two

years to complete. Her art is said to reference principles of

the Mono-ha – an art movement in mid-1960s’ Tokyo also

known as ‘School of Things’ that attempts to present natural and industrial materials in their primary state.

Interestingly, no matter where the installations are displayed, they always face magnetic north.

The exhibition also showcases Ms Ikeuchi’s exquisite drawings and etchings to round out the exhibition and

complement her silk installations. The exhibition is free and open to the public and will continue until 1 July

2016. More information: http://www.jpf.org.au/jpfevents/16-akiko-ikeuchi/

Last but not least, we’d like to thank the Japan Foundation’s Alison Groves (Program Coordinator, Arts &

Culture Department) for providing background information and context to the exhibition.

Art work made by woven silk threads

Page 5

Snow Travel Expo and Japan Snow & Adventure Travel Mart At the Snow Travel Expo held in Melbourne (22 May) and Sydney (29 May), exhibitors from around the world,

including Japan, promoted their regions’ winter playgrounds. The Expo aimed to promote ski tourism and

new ski equipment in Australia. CLAIR was there to help Aomori and Ishikawa prefectures with their

promotional activities. Aomori Prefecture promoted backcountry skiing at Hakkoda, and Ishikawa Prefecture

promoted sightseeing in Kanazawa city as a complementary side-trip after skiing in Japan.

(Backcountry skiing is an action sport involving skiing on unmaintained snow-mountain courses with

professional skiing instructor)

The Hokkaido Tourism Organization, Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization, Nagano and Niigata regions

each manned booths at the Expo to further encourage people to visit their respective ski resorts. According

to the organiser, the event attracted about 6,000 people in both Melbourne and Sydney.

On the following day after both Expos, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) hosted the Japan

Snow & Adventure Travel Mart 2016, which allowed ski resorts and other locations in Japan to provide

information for travel agents in Australia. Many Australians love to go skiing in Japan, as they attracted, in

particular, to the powder snow, onsen (hot springs), and Japanese food.

Come and have a great snow experience in Japan this summer!

The Aomori Hakkoda booth in Melbourne The Ishikawa booth in Sydney

Japan Snow & Adventure Travel Mart in Sydney

Page 6

Travel journal from the Editor - Kochi In May 2016, I went back to Japan for two weeks. It

was the first time for me to go back in two years so I

was very excited! To maximize time with my family I

spent the entire two weeks in my beautiful

hometown, Kochi.

Not many overseas travelers know about Kochi, but

this place actually has so much to offer and so many

things to like. I would like to share two of my favorite

places in Kochi through my experiences during this

trip.

- Yasui Valley

Niyodo River, a 124km-long river running through Kochi is known for its beautiful clear water. Its transparent

water is often described as ’Niyodo blue’ and Yasui valley is without doubt the best place to see the most

beautiful shades of ‘Niyodo blue’. I went there by car and the scenery along the river from the lower stream

all the way to the top was just so pleasant. All surrounding mountains were covered in fresh green leaves and

multiple waterfalls on the way were seriously impressive.

When we arrived at Yasui valley I was truly amazed to see such beautiful clear water. Further, although we

travelled during a long weekend in Japan, there

was no one else there! We took advantage of

this silence and embraced this peaceful and

refreshing moment by listening to the sounds of

water and birds.

This valley is known for its fiery red leaves

during autumn, but according to a local person

he told us that he thinks May is the most

beautiful time of the year in this valley because

of the combination of clear water and fresh

green foliage. More information: http://niyodogawa-kanko-eng.net/attractions.htm

- Monet’s Garden (Marmottan) in Kitagawa Village Claude Monet is one of the most well-known French

painters from the Impressionism era. His pieces are

much loved throughout Japan and in Kochi there is

a place called Monet’s Garden which replicates his

artwork with nature as the subject matter.

Even though I visited the garden on a quiet rainy day,

the flowers and greenery looked very healthy and

lively. In particular, the waterlily pond looked as

though it just came out of Monet’s painting! More

information: http://www.kjmonet.jp/english.html

Page 7

JETAA New Zealand Activities Meeting between JETAA New Zealand and Sister Cities New Zealand ~Article from Raewyn MacGregor, JETAA New Zealand Country Representative~

On Saturday, 14 May 2016, representatives of Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association (JETAA) New

Zealand chapters: Auckland, Wellington and South Island met with officials from CLAIR Sydney and

representatives of the board of Sister Cities New Zealand and the Sister Cities New Zealand Youth sub-

committee.

The JET Programme - 30 Years

This year celebrates 30 years since the establishment of the JET Programme. The Japanese Government

created an initiative to support local municipalities and educational institutions in Japan, the Japan Exchange

and Teaching Program (JET) Programme. Its mission was to foster grassroots internationalisation. By hosting

nationals from other, mainly English speaking countries to live and work in Japan, Japanese people can

experience other cultures. Equally, by living and working in Japan, a JET participant can learn about Japan,

expand their horizons and have a more in-depth cultural understanding achieved through first-hand

experiences. In this way JET and sister cities programmes have a lot in common.

Sister Cities New Zealand - 35 Years

This year, Sister Cities New Zealand (SCNZ) is also celebrating a milestone, its 35th anniversary. The Sister

Cities programme was developed after World War 2 in an attempt to foster connections and create peace at

a global level through personal interactions and understanding the world’s diverse cultures. By building

people-to-people relationships, friendship ties would be made across the world.

CLAIR brought us together

Director of CLAIR Sydney, Katsunori Kamibo, and his staff, Motohiro Suzuki and Toshiya Komatsu, visited

Wellington to meet with JETAA Country Representative, Raewyn MacGregor and JETAA Presidents and

committee members from Auckland (Amelia Sirimanne - President and Jo McCarthy - committee member),

Wellington (Michael Roberts - President and Natalie Liverant - Vice President) and South Island (Ryan Smith

- President and Caroline Pope - Past President). We discussed JETAA activities planned for the 30th

anniversary and sister cities relationships. Then we met with SCNZ. Sister Cities New Zealand representatives

included Hiromi Morris - President, Mayor Ray Wallace of Lower Hutt - Vice President, Bing Ying Lou - Youth

Director, Linton Rathgen - Director (and past president of JETAA Auckland), Aaron Liew and Lewis Gibson -

youth sub-committee (also JETAA members).

Certificates of appreciation

Sister Cities New Zealand surprised both JETAA and CLAIR by presenting them with certificates of

appreciation for their activities supporting people-to-people relationships between New Zealand and Japan.

This was a surprise to JETAA because this is what we do every day. For many JETs and JET Alumni we’re living

the Sister Cities mission without even realising it. It was an honour to be recognised by SCNZ and we hope to

continue discussions on this crucial topic into the future.

Page 8

JETs in sister cities in Japan

Many JET participants are placed in one of New Zealand’s 41 sister cities in Japan and provide vital bridges

for Japan to learn about New Zealand culture. Country representative, Raewyn MacGregor, noted in her

opening remarks that the prefecture she lived in did not have any New Zealand sister cities, and how she felt

that it was her duty as a “Toyama Friendly Envoy” to note it before pointing out the six other members of

the JETAA in the room who had lived in sister cities. JETAA members discussed their experiences in Japan as

a New Zealander who might not be from their town’s sister city but could provide some small insight about

what life is like in New Zealand while living there.

The meeting

The meeting discussed how we can work together, what SCNZ can do for JETAA and what JETAA can do for

SCNZ. How could we work together to enhance people-to-people relationships and support sister city

relationships in New Zealand? How could we work together to help JET alumni resettle in New Zealand when

they leave Japan?

Two ideas

Two main ideas were put forward at the meeting. These were that:

- SCNZ can help JET alumni find jobs in local government through its membership.

- JETAA can help SCNZ build/rebuild sister city relationships by providing a pool of volunteers who already

understand Japanese culture.

JET alumni already have knowledge of Japan and/or New Zealand’s sister cities in Japan and are often excited

to share that knowledge when they get back. Some seek jobs in international relations but struggle to find

them immediately when they return. Many local governments need their expertise but do not know how to

find them. JET alumni may find jobs this way or may be able to help with sister city relationships in a purely

volunteer capacity. We hope that this will be easier now.

We also discussed how we can get more New Zealand JET participants placed in sister cities in Japan. We

decided that sister cities could be promoted up front when people apply for JET.

Civic sister cities groups in New Zealand have a lot of JET alumni involved as volunteers. This provides them

with opportunities to stay involved with Japan-New Zealand people-to-people activities when they get home,

especially if there is no JETAA chapter nearby. JETAA thanked SCNZ for looking after its people when there is

no chapter.We’ll stay in touch.

After the meeting we continued the relationship

building between SCNZ, CLAIR and JETAA with a

dinner which allowed the conversations to

continue.

SCNZ and JETAA have very different purposes but

share a common purpose of people-to-people

connections and grassroots internationalisation.

Both sides hope that this will be the start of a

close and fruitful relationship. Thanks CLAIR for

bringing us together.

Page 9

From the Director Thank you for the continuous support of our Newsletter!

This month’s Newsletter is our 100th issue. Thank you very much for your continuous support and readership.

CLAIR Sydney was established in 1994 and we began to issue periodical newsletters since 1995. As such it is

not an exaggeration to say that the history of our Newsletter is a big part of the history of CLAIR Sydney.

We support the sister city relationships between Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The first sister city

relationship between Australia and Japan was between Lismore and Yamato-Takada in 1963 and the first

between New Zealand and Japan was Christchurch and Kurashiki in 1973. CLAIR being established in the

1990s has supported these relationships for more than 20 years.

Apart from this, we have invited to Japan thousands of young Australians and New Zealanders as JET

Programme participants from 1987 till the present day. The number of former JETs have reached 4,000 in

Australia and 3,000 in New Zealand. I was also a student of a first generation JET teacher twenty-nine years

ago. The JET Programme has been going for quite a long time with participants over two generations.

CLAIR Sydney has had eight directors (including me) and more than 70 members from Japan since its

establishment. Many friendships have been formed between our staff members and people they have met

in Australia and New Zealand over the years and these relationships will forever be treasured.

Thank you very much again for your continued support.

Katsunori Kamibo

Director