January 2009

Young Thai Rissho Kosei-kai Members Hold Youth Festival

On January 17, youth group members of the Thai Rissho Friendship Foundation held a Youth Festival at their Dharma Center in Bangkok. The event aimed at strengthening ties among youth members and publicizing the foundation's activities. The 250 participants also included members of the Focolare Movement in Thailand.

The youth group entertained the gathering with the twirling of matoi (traditional Japanese firemen's standards), which Rissho Kosei-kai members display at the annual Oeshiki-Ichijo Festival in October in Tokyo, a skill that the young Thai members learned through their activities with Rissho Kosei-kai. Booths offered Thai and Japanese food, and some participants pounded rice for mochi rice cakes. The youths also distributed pamphlets they had made giving information about the foundation.

The youth group formed an executive committee for the festival in September 2008. Forging friendship among members and dissemination of the teaching were the festival's two main goals. It was the youth group's first time to organize an official foundation event.

One visitor praised the Rissho Kosei-kai members for their warm welcome and collaboration and enjoyed the opportunity to become acquainted with Japanese traditional culture.

At the success of the event, the chair of the executive committee, Ms. Amonrada Kaewthannarai, thanked fellow members who had worked on the planning and implementation of the festival and said its success had strengthened young Thai members' self-confidence.

January 17, 2009

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