Japanese students' group concludes visit to Egypt, responds to president's invitation

Ambassador Noke to intensify cultural, educational programmes' promotion

On 29 December, a group of Japanese secondary school students and teachers from the areas that were harmed by the Tsunami last July concluded their visit to Egypt, responding to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's invitation. initiative
The group, which included 23 Japanese individuals, was received by Egypt's Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities on their first day of the visit, 24 December.
The one week visit programme included the Egyptian Museum, the Mohammed Ali Citadel, Khan El-Khalili, Pharaonic sightseeing in Luxor and Aswan as well as a Nile cruise.
Japan's ambassador to Egypt, Masaki Noke, asserted his deep appreciation to the Egyptian government for the presidential initiative to host a group of Japanese secondary school students and teachers from the damaged areas by the Tsunami.
Noke thanked Egypt's Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities as well as the Egyptian embassy in Japan for coordinating the visit, adding that Egypt organised a similar visit for the Japanese in 2011 following a Tsunami.
“That kind of initiative reflects the deep relations with Egypt, especially since Japanese citizens still suffer from the rainfall's havoc and Egypt's initiative is a good sign of support and solidarity,” mentioned the ambassador.
The Japanese group enjoyed the visit very much, according to Japan's embassy in Egypt, adding that the group was surprised by the Pharaonic sightseeing, and they will share their positive experiences after returning to Japan.
Additionally, the Japanese ambassador attended an event in Mynia governorate, called, ‘The Japanese Egyptian Day for Educational Activities,' where he announced his plans to promote joint cultural and educational relations between the Mynia governorate and Japanese cities.
Both countries launched the Egypt-Japan school system to introduce the Japanese educational system in primary and secondary education in Egypt. Last year, we began with 12 pilot schools and from this year we started with 35 new schools, according to past reports.
In this context, Ambassador Noki praised the efforts of Hussein Zanati, a visiting scholar at the Kitami Institute of Technology in Japan, as he introduced the adopted teaching method in Japanese schools in Egyptian society.
The event was a good occasion to watch Egyptian children learn and think through fun activities, such as fashioning toys using paper which they can easily find every day, as in Japan.
In November, the ambassador said that the Japan Association on Travel Agents (JATA) is organising a visit to Egypt, adding, "I encouraged the JATA to come to Egypt as early as possible. The JATA is a private organisation aligning most Japanese travel agencies. I also asked the ministry of tourism to send a top-level official to visit to Egypt."
The Japanese ambassador told Daily News Egypt that Japanese tourists who visited Egypt in 2016 amounted to 19,000 tourists and increased to 33,000 tourists in 2017, adding, "We have good news that EgyptAir will increase the number of direct flights from once a week to twice a week from December, so I am expecting a further increase of Japanese tourists to Egypt."