On October 5th, iCLA’s international students joined the high school pupils of Yamanashi Prefecture Seishu High School for an event celebrating diversity and cultural exchange in Kofu City. The event, Global Festa 2025, organized by Seishu High School’s second-year students, invited members of the public to experience the richness of global cultures through a variety of interactive booths, live performances, and international food stalls. It was held in the Assist Engineering Yocchabare Square at Kofu Station.
iCLA students from Morocco, USA, Singapore, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan worked together with Seishu High School students to run a booth at the festival. In the weeks leading up to the event, Seishu high school students and iCLA students met several times to plan and design their activities together to create a fun cultural experience. The booth featured educational quiz activities about foreign countries and an exhibit space where visitors could learn about various traditional items and clothing. Visitors could come and try on Moroccan traditional clothing, learn about traditional head wear such as the Kyrgyz traditional hat Kalpak, peruse various foreign currencies, and more.
Thanks to the efforts of Seishu High School students, iCLA students were able to promote their unique culture to the local Yamanashi community. iCLA students also enjoyed the festival by trying Japanese cultural experiences such as wadaiko (Japanese drums) and washi (traditional Japanese paper) dyeing, a traditional craft of the Ichikawa Misato town where Seishu High School is located.
Working closely together for Global Festa 2025, iCLA and Seishu High School students strengthened their understanding of cultural diversity while promoting inclusivity and global awareness in the local Yamanashi community.