The Osaka to host 14th WTO meeting Sept.28-Oct.1
The Osaka session of the 14th general assembly of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), to be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, will be held at the Osaka International Convention Center in Osaka's Kita Ward September 28-October 1.'Into New Tourism: Peace, Sustainability and Technology' is the theme of the 14th WTO general assembly. Some 1,500 tourism officials, including ministers in charge of tourism, are expected to participate in the Osaka session. Marking the first WTO general assembly in the 21st century, the Osaka session will include the 'Millennium Conference of Tourism Leaders,' which will discuss qualitative and quantitative changes in tourism markets. The summit is expected to adopt an 'Osaka Declaration,' which will summarize what will be discussed there.
The Seoul session is scheduled for September 23-27.
The World Tourism Organization is the sole international organization in the field of travel and tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how. WTO's membership includes 139 countries and territories and more than 350 affiliate members representing local government, tourism associations and private sector companies, including airlines, hotel groups and tour operators.
With its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, WTO is an inter-governmental body entrusted by the United Nations towards promotion and development of tourism. Through tourism, WTO aims to stimulate economic growth and job creation, provide incentives for protecting the environment and heritage of destinations, and promote peace and understanding among all the nations of the world.
Italian cultural festival in Fukui
A colorful Italian cultural festival will be held at various locations in Fukui City October 5-9 as part of 'Italia in Japan 2001,' a program being held throughout Japan to introduce Italy.The Fukui event, called 'Italia in Fukui,' is being organized by the Fukui Prefectural Government, the Fukui Municipal Government, the Fukui Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Fukui Convention Bureau, Fukui Prefectural University and other organizations in the prefecture.
Italia in Fukui, which will fill the city with an Italian atmosphere, will have the theme of 'How to Learn from Italy' and focus on common features of Fukui and Italy.
The five-day festival will include a music festival in which Italian popular musicians and orchestras will perform, 'Buona Festa,' an event introducing representative Italian dishes cooked with materials produced in Fukui, a poster and photo exhibitions of invited Italian artists, a sale of Italian goods and other activities.
Italia in Fukui will mark the start of new exchanges between Fukui and Italy, officials of the organizing committee say.
Midosuji Parade to support WTO
The annual Midosuji Parade will take place on 'Midosuji' Boulevard in Osaka City from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. September 30 under the sponsorship of the Osaka 21st Century Association.Some 10,000 members of 88 organizations are expected to participate in the event which will add colors to the autumnal scene of Osaka. Among the 23 participating organizations from 17 foreign countries and regions are three first timers: Sharkiya Folk Troupe of Egypt, Belly Dance and Harem in Ottoman Time of Turkey and Bong Sen Traditional Art Performance Ensemble of Vietnam.
The parade lineup also includes the Flag-Wavers of Sansepolcro (Italy), Pact Dance Group (Singapore), Folklore Edelweiss (Switzerland), Miss France 2000 (France), Queen of the Lakes and Commodore of the Minneapolis Aquatennial (U.S.A.), Brazilian Samba Team (Brazil), Hong Kong Police Pipe Band (China), Blaskapelle Durnbach (Germany), Satsuma Sendai Samurai Warrior Parade (Sendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture), Kuroishi Neputa (Kuroishi City, Aomori Prefecture), Danjiri Float of Nishiwakigumi (Osaka City), and Jya-Odori Tai (Nagasaki City)
The Midosuji Parade is normally held on the second Sunday of October. This year, however, the date of the parade was brought forward to late September since it will be held as an event for supporting the Osaka session of the 14th General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization. The international parade will welcome participants in the WTO meeting.
Dioxin-free plastic materials developed
The Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute has developed new plastic materials which do not emit dioxin when they are burned.The conventional production method of plastics, which are very flammable, involves the addition of a halogen-containing flame retardant to make plastics less flammable. But flame retardants become dangerous sources of emitting toxic substances such as hydrogen halogenide and dioxin. Phosphorus-containing flame retardants, which are increasingly used of late, are also considered potentially unsafe.
The newly developed plastic materials are a new heat-resistant ones based on new-type phenolic resin (benzoxazine-based resin) which are produced from three raw materials. It is highly heat- and flame-resistant though it contains neither halogenous nor phosphorous compounds.
The Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute envisages the use of the new plastic materials for printed circuit boards and other electric and electronic materials as well as peripheral parts for automobile engines. The institute is considering extending technical assistance to small companies which plan to commercialize the new material.
Historic Kansai:Osaka's Oimatsu-cho is a gallery district
Junzo TanakaOsaka is generally known as the largest business district in the Kansai region and for its food culture. But Osaka also has a highly cultural atmosphere. You can find this if you go through the Oimatsu Street in Kita ward.
Go south down Midosuji Street from Umeda Railway Station, the hub of Osaka's traffic network, and you will come to Umeda Shinmichi Street which crosses National Highway No.1. Go further south for about 200 meters and turn to the left on a narrow street. Then you will notice the signpost of Oimatsu Street. The U.S. Consulate General and the Osaka Municipal Office are located a little ahead.
On the street you notice a large number of painting materials shops, folk handicraft shops and art galleries. They stand at reasonable intervals, which offers a sedate atmosphere. There are nearly 40 art galleries varying in size. Some are big enough to hold exhibitions and some are so small as to be filled up by several persons.
You can walk the whole length of the street in 20 minutes and notice a large number of art lovers and art students there.
The name of this area, Oimatsu, means 'an old pine tree.' It was named as Oimatsu-cho in the 1830s because there was an old pine tree at a shrine on the street. In those days, the street was an entrance path to Tenma-Tenjin Shrine and a large number of antique shops were on both sides of the street. While Japan was going through its modernization in the Meiji Era, Nakanoshima Institute of Western Art was inaugurated on this street, marking the start of the town's link with arts.
Osaka produced a large number of ukiyoe print artists during the Edo Period (1600-1868), and famed painters, like Narashige Koide and Konosuke Tamura, after modernization. They all learned at the Nakanoshima Institute of Western Art.
You will feel nostalgic if you walk down the street.
Kansai in Focus: 'Osaka Beer Summit' promoting international exchange
The International Beer Summit has taken hold as an annual autumnal international festival in Osaka. It is now as famous as the annual international parade held on Midosuji Boulevard. The beer summit was launched in 1996 by officials of foreign consulates in Osaka for the promotion of international exchanges.The forthcoming International Beer Summit 2001 Osaka, to be held September 28-30, will be the seventh of its kind. Previously, the beer summit was held in October, but this year the date of the event was brought forward to synchronize with the 14th general assembly of the World Tourist Organization (WTO) opening in Osaka on September 28. Many participants in the WTO meeting are expected to participate in the beer summit to make it more exciting.
The beer summit was occasioned by the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. The German Consulate General in Kobe was heavily damaged in the earthquake and the office was relocated to Umeda Sky Building in Shin-Umeda City on the northern side of the JR Osaka Station from the old site where it had existed for 120 years. While consulate officials were socializing with other foreign diplomats and people from various walks of life in Osaka, including Osaka City officials, journalists, scenario writers and officials of the Japan Local Beer Association, they hit upon the idea of getting together for a beer drinking party to promote international exchange and wish for the Kansai region's early recovery from the earthquake.
The first beer summit was held in May 1996 at the Kaiyukan Hall in Tenpozan, Osaka. It was followed by the second summit held at the 'Wonder Square' in the courtyard of Umeda Sky Building where the German Consulate General in Kobe is housed, with the cooperation of Sekisui House Umeda Operation Co. and others. The second summit included an international beer competition.
The summit has since been held every October in the Wonder Square with 20,000 to 30,000 persons participating. The square is widely used for international events. The beer competition has become an inseparable part of the summit and one of the leading international beer competitions.
This year's beer summit will be entered by more than 120 kinds of craft beer from Japan and some 30 other countries, including Germany, South Korea, Thailand, the Czech Republic and India. Dishes of participating countries will be served. During the summit, dancers participating in the Midosuji Parade will perform also at the Wonder Square together with Japanese entertainer groups who will introduce Japanese performing arts at the WTO meeting, including Gion drummers from Kokura, the Eisa dancing troupe from Okinawa and the Kawachi dancing troupe from Osaka.
A nonprofit organization, International Beer and Wine Summit Association, was established in June as a main support organization for the beer summit. The association plans to make the beer summit a popular civic event open to the general public in order to expose Osaka citizens to beer and wine as well dishes, dances, music of various countries of the world and let them understand the variety of cultures of the world. 'It is not right to force one specific set of cultural values on people. Recognition of diversity will contribute to peaceful coexistence of people of the world,' association officials said.
Specifically, the association plans to launch various activities aimed at linking tasting of beer as well as wine with cultural activities, including preservation of the natural environment. Water and a rich natural environment are essential for the production of beer and wine, the association emphasized. The beer summit is expected to develop into a broader international event aimed at promoting international exchanges, mutual understanding of diverse cultures and protection of the natural environment. (J)