Kansai's handmade washi villages HYOGO Sugihara-gami The National Sugihara-gami New Year's Card Contest Planning Division Kami Town Office Address: 240 Toyobe, Kami Town, Taka-gun, Hyogo Prefecture TEL:0795-35-0080 Cosponsored by Kam Town and Kami Municipal Sugihara-gami Research Institute, the National Sugihara-gami New Year's Card Contest was started two years ago to promote nationwide recognition of Sugihara-gami, the pride and symbol of Kami Town. In this unique event, schoolchildren of all ages living in Japan produce and uniquely decorate their own Sugihara-gami New Year's postcards. Only in its third year, the contest is not yet widely known, and thus most of the entries come from within Hyogo Prefecture. Last year, however, a total of 515 creative works were entered. The Kami Town Office has from the beginning invited children from its Chinese sister city, Sansui City, Guandong, to take part, and each year the number of Chinese entries increases. Publicity activities for the contest are being enhanced, and such efforts are expected to lead to ever greater numbers of contestants in future. All images Copyright. 1997 Kansai International Public Relations Promotion Office. All Rights Reserved.