Report: “See you in Kitano-machi” Singing workshop (2)
The second Singing workshop was held on Sunday 18 June 2023 from 14:00 to 15:00 in the the Multipurpose Room at Cosmo Smile Kitano.
Thirteen technical intern trainees, eleven students taking intercultural communication theory at Kurume University and two staff members participated in the event. Mr. Shinichi Anasako facilitated the session in two languages, Japanese and English.
First, the participants played games in which they lined up in a row in order of their height, birthday, time they woke up that day, and so on. Although the participants were checking each other's whereabouts and getting together with friends at the start, as the games went on, the tension gradually eased and more and more they started laughing with the people around them.
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. They found members by seeking ways to communicate despite language barriers, such as making 'wan wan (=bow-wow)' noises and using swimming gestures to indicate the sea.
In between games, there were several instances of smiling and conversing.
After the break, the participants formed pairs and introduced their partner to others. They had 30 seconds to interview their paired partner about name, hobbies, hometown, and so forth. They then shared what they had heard in Japanese and English, such as "I am married and have family in the Philippines", " I like a Filipino dish called adobo" and "I have a 34-year-old brother".
At the end, everyone sang the Beatles' 'Let it be' to the accompaniment of Ms. Chiharu Kamimoto. As the performance began, everyone's shoulders naturally began to sway sideways, and their singing voices grew louder as the song progressed.
After the break-up, many were seen conversing, taking photos together and exchanging social networking sites, as if it was difficult to part with each other.
Here are some of the comments from participants.
・It was fun and full of excitement. I really like the event today become I practice/enhance my NIHONGO speaking.
・Today's program is so fun. I never thought to meet some new friend and have some fun event. I felt I relived and feeling relax.
・I have never been in this kind of place/program and yet it was really so great. And honestly I wish to experience this program.
・最初は緊張したけど、みんなフレンドリーで優しかったのでとても楽しかったです。最後にみんなで Let it be を歌うのが一番楽しかったです。（I was nervous at first, but everyone was friendly and kind, so it was a lot of fun.It was the most fun to sing 'Let it be' together at the end.）
・ペアになって相手の紹介をするのは、相手のことを知ろうとする機会になったのでとてもよかったです。（It was very nice to introduce each other in pairs, as it was an opportunity to try to get to know each other.）
★Click here for the Kurume City Plaza Art Project “See you in Kitano-machi”
