I would like to introduce the international exchanges at my hometown, Kumamoto. First of all, many of you probably know that Kumamoto and Doshisha University are closely related. The exchange began by having students and graduates of “Kumamoto Yogakko” (the former Kumamoto International School), which shut down when Doshisha University was established, enter Doshisha University unexpectedly. They were called the “Kumamoto Band” and the famous Soho Tokutomi was also part of it. Doshisha University participates in the Kumamoto Camp every summer and maintains a connection with Kumamoto. Next, I would like to briefly explain about Kumamoto. It has a population of 670,000 people and is known as the prefectural capital. In the center of the city, you can see the grand Kumamoto castle surrounded by an admirable wall. Around the castle, there is a lively shopping area known as Kamitori and Shimotori where young people gather.
   I visited the Kumamoto International Exchange Assembly Hall to research on the international exchanges at Kumamoto.

   Kumamoto is sister cities with the city of Guilin in China, the city of San Antonio in the United States, and the city of Heidelberg in Germany. If you look at the details of the exchanges, dispatch of the administrative exchange member and mutual international students, exchange events with middle and high school students, medical exchange business, student dispatch at summer science schools, and dispatch of mayor and assembly chairman delegation of Kumamoto were mentioned. The objectives for these activities are stability and development of friendly relations with various countries in the international society of Kumamoto. The main concern is to have Kumamoto residents correspond appropriately towards internationalization. They are promoting the meaning of internationalism and the participation of the international exchanges.

   Kumamoto city also exchanges with non-sister cities. To list a concrete example, there is the mutual dispatch of the culture exchange members that was taken place between the summer and fall of 2007. Through the experience and exchanges of Kumamoto culture, for the 100th anniversary in 2008, the dispatch was held to achieve people up who can be a gobetween with the Japanese- Brazilian society. Also, in October 2007, a Korean- Japanese concert was taken place at Kumamoto castle. In this occasion, they admit the Ulsan Metropolitan City visiting association. The concert was opened for the 400th anniversary of the Kumamoto castle, hence, the visiting association came to represent for the mayor of Ulsan, Korea. There was also the Ulsan whale festival and dispatch of the food business mission of Hong Kong. In comparison, I felt that there were more international exchanges with Asia.