Thanks to all who turned up to make the “Worlds Meet Bar” a successful start to WMDF 006. We unveiled the Opening Live Tour posters, and you will now start to see them going up around town. 


Staff meetings and presentations at the universities around town will start from next week. 2013 has started. See you soon!

The sixth international edition of Hakodate’s World Music and Dance Festival, “WMDF 006″, is gearing up. The main festival will be held from Aug 4-11, but  the “pre-event” for 2013 is a party where you can sample beers and cocktails from around the world. It is a “Worlds Meet Bar” where you can encounter many different people and ideas.

We have beers from Portugal, India, Russia, and Czechoslovakia plus cocktails from everywhere! It is a great way to socialise, to have a great time, and to discover something more about the ideas and the philosophy behind WMDF. Hakodate is having a long winter, but the party will be set to summer time, so break out the Hawaiian shirts and shorts!

Entry is free, and all drinks are 500 yen. There is a kids area and lots to do. There is live music too. For a taster, see  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elOyfIAE2rI&hl=ja&gl=JP

Especially, the party is an opportunity for new staff. If you have some interest in WMDF, then come along and enjoy, talk to new people, and meet new worlds.

There is more information (Japanese) at these links, including where you can buy pre-order tickets that give you discounts and special rewards (these are also available from WMDF staff):

http://wmdf.org/2013/0314140418.html

http://wmdf.org/2013/0323112354.html

第006回WMDF

「Worlds Meet Bar」

Date：   Apr 7 2013, 17:00〜20:00 (Sun)

Venue：Machi-Tsukuri Center, 2F Free Space (Suehiro-cho 4-19)

Venue HP: http://hakomachi.com/ 　Map : http://hakomachi.com/access.html

Hakodate and Hokkaido have had very long winters this year. But, spring is coming and peoples’ thoughts are turning to travel. The picture below shows how one of Japan’s major shopping sites is promoting its current sale. There’s not much English (common in Japan…) but the four photos show the iconic spring travel thoughts of the Japanese: hot baths, cherry blossoms, and overseas (Hawaii for beaches, New York for cities). The cherry blossoms are illustrated by Hakodate’s star-shaped fort (“Goryokaku”), where the late spring means that the blossoming coincides with the “Golden Week” holiday celebrations. We hope many people from all around the world will come to Hakodate, and not just in spring…