“From a willingness to listen to others, mutual understanding is born; and from mutual understanding, a peaceful society will be born.”
— Daisaku Ikeda
To promote intercultural understanding at a grassroots level and to help create a worldwide network of friendship and goodwill among people from different countries around the world, Min-On has sponsored international student festivals on an annual basis in the Kansai area since 1989. Over the past two decades, the Foreign Student Music Festival has become a well-established tradition, welcoming students from overseas into the international communities in Kyoto and Osaka.
The 20th Kyoto Foreign Students Music Festival, cosponsored by the Kyoto City Music & Arts Promotion Foundation and the Kyoto Shimbun, was held at Kyoto Kaikan Hall in November 2008. Some 102 students from 17 countries and territories studying at universities and colleges in the greater Kyoto area presented traditional dances, songs and music from their respective cultures in colorful ethnic costumes. Following the show, the Mayor of Kyoto presented the city’s International Music and Culture Exchange Contribution Award to Min-On founder Dr. Ikeda, and presented Min-On with a certificate of appreciation for its part in promoting international friendship.
In the same year in December, the 18th Osaka Foreign Students Festival—a counterpart to the event in Kyoto—was held at the Osaka International Exchange Center. Entitled Global Bond of Youth 2008, the show featured 169 students from 19 countries and territories studying at nearby universities performing music and dance from their respective cultures. Min-On cosponsored the Osaka event with the Osaka Foundation of International Exchange and International House Osaka. In the 20 years since its inception, the annual student music festivals in Kyoto and Osaka have seen the participation of more than 5,000 overseas students from over 70 countries and territories around the world with tens of thousands of people attending from the neighborhood communities in the greater Kansai area.
Kyoto Foreign Students Music Festival
Foreign Students Music Festival
Foreign Students Music Festival in Kyoto- 1st FestivalOctober 1, 1989 at Kyoto Kaikan with 47 students in 6 universities/schools from 8 countries/regions
- 2nd FestivalNovember 18, 1990 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 49 students in 7 universities/schools from 8 countries/regions
- 3rd FestivalNovember 17, 1991 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 85 students in 9 universities/schools from 8 countries/regions
- 4th FestivalNovember 22, 1992 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 88 students in 11 universities/schools from 15 countries/regions
- 5th FestivalNovember 23, 1993 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 88 students in 19 universities/schools, from 17 countries/regions
- 6th FestivalNovember 23, 1994 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 91 students in 15 universities/schools from 13 countries/regions
- 7th FestivalNovember 19, 1995 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 125 students in 34 universities/schools from 18 countries/regions
- 8th FestivalNovember 17, 1996 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 148 students in 31 universities/schools from 20 countries/regions
- 9th FestivalNovember 09, 1997 at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies Morita Memorial Hall with 93 students in 12 universities/schools from 19 countries/regions
- 10th FestivalNovember 08, 1998 at Kyoto Concert Hall with 126 students in 36 universities/schools from 20 countries/regions
- 11th FestivalNovember 14, 1999 at Kyoto Concert Hall with 93 students in 25 universities/schools from 23 countries/regions
- 12th FestivalNovember 19, 2000 at Kyoto Concert Hall with 122 students in 26 universities/schools from 31 countries/regions
- 13th FestivalNovember 18, 2001 at Kyoto Concert Hall with 176 students in 22 universities/schools from 25 countries/regions
- 14th FestivalNovember 10, 2002 at Kyoto Concert Hall with 189 students in 35 universities/schools from 27 countries/regions
- 15th FestivalNovember 23, 2003 at Kyoto Kaikan with 202 students in 20 universities/schools from 31 countries/regions
- 16th FestivalNovember 23, 2004 at Kyoto Kaikan with 134 students in 18 universities/schools from 22 countries/regions
- 17th FestivalNovember 23, 2005 at Kyoto Kaikan with 150 students in 16 universities/schools from 32 countries/regions
- 18th FestivalNovember 26, 2006 at Kyoto Kaikan with 139 students in 18 universities/schools from 23 countries/regions
- 19th FestivalNovember 18, 2007 at Kyoto Kaikan with 133 students in 14 universities/schools from 20 countries/regions
- 20th FestivalNovember 30, 2008 at Kyoto Kaikan with 102 students in 22 universities/schools from 17 countries/regions
Osaka Foreign Students Music Festival
Foreign Students Music Festival in Osaka- 1st FestivalDecember 19, 1991 at International House with 34 students in 9 universities/schools from 9 countries/regions
- 2nd FestivalDecember 12, 1992 at IMP Hall with 71 students in 17 universities/schools from 14 countries/regions
- 3rd FestivalDecember 19, 1993 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 85 students in 19 universities/schools from 12 countries/regions
- 4th FestivalDecember 3, 1994 at Festival Hall with 123 students in 23 universities/schools from 22 countries/regions
- 5th FestivalDecember 3, 1995 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 172 students in 27 universities/schools from 20 countries/regions
- 6th FestivalDecember 7, 1996 at Ikeda City Civic Culture Center with149 students in 22 universities/schools from 17 countries/regions
- 7th FestivalDecember 6, 1997 at Daitou City Cultural Hall with 159 students in 25 universities/schools from 16 countries/regions
- 8th FestivalDecember 13, 1998 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 103 students in 25 universities/schools from 18 countries/regions
- 9th FestivalDecember 13, 1998 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 103 students in 25 universities/schools from 18 countries/regions
- 10th FestivalDecember 3, 2000 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 191 students in 30 universities/schools from 29 countries/regions
- 11th FestivalDecember 9, 2001 at Maikata City Civic Center with 142 students in 36 universities/schools from 25 countries/regions
- 12th FestivalDecember 8, 2002 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 150 students in 26 universities/schools from 29 countries/regions
- 13th FestivalDecember 7, 2003 at Kishiwada City Namikiri Hall with191 students in 25 universities/schools from 27 countries/regions
- 14th FestivalDecember 12, 2004 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 225 students in 20 universities/schools from 28 countries/regions
- 15th FestivalDecember 18, 2005 at Takatsuki Modern Art Theater with 140 students in 21 universities/schools from 25 countries/regions
- 16th FestivalDecember 17, 2006 at Osaka International Cultural Exchange Center with 131 students in 21 universities/schools from 23 countries/regions
- 17th FestivalDecember 16, 2007 at Osaka Sayama City Culture Center Sayaka Hall with 101 students in 28 universities/schools from 21 countries/regions
