Eighty-eight people from twenty-seven countries exchanged words at Kansai International Center Hall. Attending, were ica Japanese learners and Japanese language trainees from the Kansai International Center. Japanese students and Japanese participants divided into small groups then gathered around tables and had lively exchanges in Japanese and English.

• I talked with two people from Africa. Although they were both from Africa, I could see various differences depending on the country. (Japan)
• I was impressed that they knew a lot about Japan , even though they had never been to Japan. (Japan)
• I talked with a person from country I was unaware of. It was interesting to learn about various countries. I wanted to talk with a lot more people. (Japan)
• I talked with people from five countries such as Congo, Afghanistan. They’ve been coming to this center for a month to learn Japanese. Although everyone has only been studying a month, I was surprised because their Japanese was good. (Japan)
• Everyone was friendly. The members ranged from young to old, so I learned a lot. (Ahmat / Chad)
• I’m glad I could talk with local people. My first impression of Japan was not so warm and familiar like this. However, I realized that the more I talk, the fewer differences I see; ?I find more similarities with Japanese people. In my country family is very important too. (Azamat / Kazakhstan)
• My Japanese ability was limited, but I’m glad that we could talk with Japanese people. I’m getting more motivated to learn more Japanese. (Tier / Indonesia)