The first Singing workshop was held on Sunday 14 May 2023 from 14:00 to 15:00 in the medium meeting room of the main building of the Kitano Lifelong Learning Centre.

Thirteen technical intern trainees, eight students taking intercultural communication theory at Kurume University and two staff members participated in the event.
The session was facilitated by Shinichi Anasako in two languages, Japanese and English, with Mr. Neil Hefernan of Kurume University volunteering to follow up as interpreter.

First, as an ice-breaker, the participants played games in which they lined up in a row in order of height, birthday or the time they woke up.
Although there was some awkwardness due to the language barrier, there were signs of mutual communication, and the rule to 'shake hands' with the person in front of and behind them when they get in line in order drew laughter every time.

The next game they played was to form groups on their favourite season, whether they are dog or cat people, whether they like the mountains or the sea, and so on. Several were seen to manage to listen and communicate with each other with gestures.

After the break, the participants formed pairs and introduced their partner to others. They had 30 seconds to listen to their partner's name, hobbies, hometown, and more. They then share what they have heard in English and Japanese, such as "I like badminton", "I like ramen" and "I have children in the Philippines". In between, the pairs also exchanged information on social networking sites with each other.

At the end, everyone sang the Beatles' 'Let it be' in English, performed by Chiharu Kamimoto.

Here are some of the comments from participants.

★Click here for the Kurume City Plaza Art Project “See you in Kitano-machi”