[6th JFBFE Networking Event] "We want to see snow...!" A large gathering of people from Southeast Asia! The global networking event "Kiyosato Ski Tour" was held.

The "Kiyosato Ski Tour" was held from Friday, March 1st to Saturday, March 2nd!

One of the mandatory support tasks for registered support organizations is to support interactions with Japanese people , and as part of this, our association holds "supporter exchange meetings" two to three times a year. We hope that by experiencing experiences unique to Japan and experiencing Japanese culture, people will be able to expand their interactions beyond companies and nationalities...!

For the first supporter meetup of 2024, we held the "Kiyosato Ski Tour," which we also held last year! We had four more participants than last time, and a total of 21 people, including foreign supporters , employees and their families, attended the meetup (*^^)

8:40 Meet in front of the Nishi-Shinjuku office

The meeting place was under the PMO Nishi-Shinjuku building, where our Tokyo branch is located. As I left Nishi-Shinjuku Station and looked up at the sky, unfortunately it looked like it was going to rain... The weather forecast for Yamanashi Prefecture, where we were heading, was sunny, but I wondered if it would actually be sunny...

8:50 Depart for the ski resort!

Everyone is safely gathered and the roll call is complete! It's time to depart for the ski resort (^▽^)/

This time, the members of the program who were absent came to see us off ♪

11:30 Arrive at Sun Meadows Kiyosato Ski Resort in Yamanashi Prefecture

As we walked along the mountain path, we saw a beautiful snowy landscape. Everyone looked out the window and exclaimed, "Amazing!" with excitement.

We arrived at the ski resort about 30 minutes earlier than planned!

It wasn't snowing, but it was very foggy and cloudy and very cold...!

After arriving, we first changed into the ski wear we rented! Some people were wearing it for the first time, so we carefully checked how to put it on and how to put on the ski boots. Some people even bought goggles and gloves for this day (^▽^)

13:00 Ski lessons start

Once you've changed, your ski lesson will begin with a local instructor!

The first thing I learned was how to put on my skis!

If you put both feet on at this point, you will slip and not be able to stand up properly.

First, let's check one foot.

The two struggle to put it on 💦 After this, the instructor comes to help!

With some support, I put on my skis...!

After that, the slope is gentle and begins to slide down from the non-slip sheet.

This is practice by repeatedly sliding and stopping! This is quite difficult (^_^;)

It was quite a struggle, but as I continued practicing,

I've gotten to the point where I can skate without the help of an instructor (^▽^)/

The two of them look at the camera with a sense of ease.

15:00 Ski lesson ends ~ Free time at the ski resort

After the ski lesson, it's time to get on the lift!

When we arrived at the ski resort, the weather looked ominous.

Before I knew it, the ski resort was covered in blue skies.

Once you have mastered the tricks of skiing, you can ski around the lifts multiple times.

If you are visiting the ski resort for the first time, take lots of photos.

Everyone had a great time right up until the very last moment!

17:00 Arrive at accommodation

We left the ski resort and arrived at our lodging, Seisen Ryo ! We booked four cottages this time and split into groups to stay in! The cottages were spacious and the wooden interior was very relaxing.

18:00 Dinner

After a long day at the ski resort, we're getting hungry... It's time for dinner, which everyone has been waiting for!

The buffet here allows you to eat as much as you like from the menu ☆ I actually stayed at this inn last year and heard from a senior colleague that "the dinner buffet was really delicious!" so I was really looking forward to it \( ˆoˆ )/

Everything was delicious, but the Italian hamburger was especially delicious.

Everyone was seriously thinking about which dish to eat!

Let's all eat together~🍴

19:00 Starry sky from the open-air bath! & Table tennis tournament

The inn we stayed at this time had a large public bath with an open-air bath.

There was also a space where you could play table tennis.

Everyone had a great time (*^^*)

The weather was fine at night, so we could see the starry sky from the open-air bath.

There were people from countries where there is no culture of public baths, but they tried it for the first time.

We had a great time washing each other's backs and counting the stars together in the open-air bath!

↑Everyone happily laying out their futons together♩

21:00 Launch party at the cottage!

We had free time in the evening, but since we had the chance, we all gathered in one cottage and enjoyed talking about all sorts of things over drinks and snacks.

This ski tour brought together people from Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Regardless of nationality, everyone had a great time talking about common topics!

Some of the attendees were even married couples, and it turned out that the next day was their first wedding anniversary! We all waited until the new year came and celebrated together! 👏

I had a great time and am a little sad that the tour will end tomorrow...

8:00 Start of Day 2

It's the morning of the second day!

When I opened the curtains in the cottage, the dazzling morning sun came in ☼

The weather is nice and reassuring!

A photo taken on the dining room balcony after breakfast!

Even though the sunlight was dazzling, she was looking straight into the camera (^^)

10:40 Take a stroll through Oishi Park with Mt. Fuji in the background!

We left the inn and arrived at Oishi Park near Lake Kawaguchi! After arriving, Mt. Fuji, which had been hidden by clouds, came into view, and everyone was amazed.

In fact, our association held a " Mt. Fuji climbing tour " at our second supporter exchange meeting !

There were some people who participated in the tour at that time,

He told me some memorable stories ♪

12:30 Search for souvenirs at the travel station ~ Lunch

After enjoying the beautiful view of Mt. Fuji at Oishi Park, we bought lots of souvenirs at the travel station!

I also had lunch at the nearby restaurant "Ajidokoro Manpuku" and was very satisfied (*^▽^*)

The two Indonesian guests ordered the chicken giblet set meal!

Tempura udon looks delicious too 🎵

16:00 Arrived safely at the office

Everyone was asleep on the bus back... It took about two hours from Tabi-no-Eki and we were back in Tokyo in no time. At the end, the project leader gave a speech of thanks to everyone, bringing the two-day, one-night ski tour to a close.

We received many wonderful comments from everyone who participated, such as "It was really fun!", "I hope you will hold this event again♪", and "When is the next social gathering?", which made us realize once again how glad we were to have planned this event.

I am especially pleased to have had the opportunity to witness many of your first experiences in Japan .

Thank you all so much for participating!

We hope to continue to promote exchanges that transcend nationalities and companies by holding networking events and other activities. We have also posted a report on this ski tour on our association's note. Please take a look! We look forward to your likes and follows!

Click the URL below to access the note article : https://note.com/jfbfe/n/n27c5fccc89b7

The next meetup is scheduled for July!

Stay tuned!