Dreams and Excitement International Exchange in Bali! SDGs Study Tour The hearts of Japan and Bali are united! At the Tabanan Palace A miraculous day of "NIPPON Festival" where different cultures resonate with each other!

ICA Japan (ICA Japan/UN ECOSOC consultative status organization) conducted an "SDGs Study Tour" in Bali, Indonesia from August 29 to September 3, 2025.

The climax of the tour was the "NIPPON Festival" held on Sunday, August 31 at the Kelambitan Palace in Tabanan Province, where 43 Japanese participants and about 200 local villagers gathered, smiles abounded, and the circle of international cultural exchange was greatly expanded with friendship and cultural exchange that transcended borders.

Highlights of the exchange

August 29: Playtime at an elementary school

At a local elementary school, university students and artists from Japan introduced "Kendama," "Origami," "Japanese Anime Drawing Song," and "Tail-Catching Game," among others. The Balinese children's eyes lit up as they experienced Japanese games for the first time, and the time was filled with laughter and applause. The children's hearts were united by the "power of play" that transcended language barriers.

Exchange at an elementary school

August 31st: "NIPPON Festival" at the Clambitant Palace

Performance from Japan

A series of performances included powerful calligraphy art, heartfelt songs, an amazing magic show, and a kimono show by participants from Japan. In the finale, the audience and performers united in a powerful Soran-bushi dance performed by all, and the palace vestibule was filled with cheers and applause.

NIPPON Festival

Traditional Performances from Bali

In addition to graceful Balinese dances, "TEKTEKAN SENDRATARI," a traditional regional dance, was performed, overwhelming the Japanese participants. The interplay of our cultures made for an inspiring stage that transcended national borders.

The singing and dancing under the night sky was a symbol of peace and friendship.

September 1: Dream Soccer Exchange: Mr. Yasuyuki Moriyama and a local junior soccer team

Former Japanese national team and J-League player, Mr. Yasuyuki Moriyama, joined 20 children from a local junior soccer team for practice and an exchange game.

The children, excited to be on the same field as their favorite professional player, gave it their all in a short period of time, and their serious eyes and sweat-stained smiles filled the field.

Mr. Moriyama spoke to each one of them and encouraged them, saying, "Your dreams will surely come true if you keep working hard. The children were impressed by his words, "I want to practice harder and become a professional player someday! and were filled with emotion when he told them that they could make their dreams come true. This "one-day international dream exchange" became a treasure that will remain in the children's hearts forever.

Soccer Exchange

September 2: Meeting children with disabilities

The children visited SLB Negeri 1 Tabanan, a school for the hearing impaired in Tabanan, and interacted through drawing and playing.

They drew wonderful pictures of their thoughts on peace, transcending their disabilities. They also shared the experience of laughing together and communicating with each other beyond their differences, such as folding and flying paper airplanes together and learning sign language.

Exchange at a school for the deaf

SDGs exchange with university students

At WARMADEWA UNIVERSITY in Denpasar, students exchanged opinions on issues of education, environment, and peace. At the end, they jointly presented the "Peace Action Declaration.

This declaration will be submitted to the ICA Global Conference in Zimbabwe in October and to the UN CSW 70 in March 2026.

SDGs Workshop at WARMADEWA UNIVERSITY

■Future Prospects

ICA will continue to organize international study tours based on the principle of "Fusion of Culture and Peace".

The next one will be held in November 2026 in the Maasai community in Kenya, with the themes of education, environment, and peace.

In Bali, we nurtured children's dreams through "play," "culture," and "sports." In Kenya, we will learn from the local people the "wisdom of living in harmony with nature" and the "power of preserving traditions. The next generation of Japanese youth and the Maasai will be able to learn from the local people.

The plan is for Japanese youth and Maasai leaders of the next generation to discuss the SDGs together and present a "Declaration of Peace and Coexistence" to the international community for the future.

Furthermore, the results of this project will be officially presented at the UN CSW70 and ICA Global Conference, and will be developed into an "international action from the local community to the world" rather than just a cultural exchange.

■Message from ICA

"Smiles and cultural exchange are the power to connect dreams across borders.

The "Challenge to Dream" pledged by the children in Bali and the "Peace Action Declaration" by the students will be carried over to the next stage, Africa.

The young people who bear the future will relay friendship and hope from Asia to Africa and then to the world.

This study tour is not just an international exchange, but it opens the door to an "International Movement for Peace" to be built with the next generation by reaffirming the SDGs practices that Japan is leading.

Please look forward to our next encounter with the Maasai tribe.

■Outline of the Association

Company name: ICA International Cultural Exchange Association

Representative: Sumiko Suzuki, President

Location: UCF402, RISHE Building, 2-2-3 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan

URL ： https://ica-japan.org

Mail : info.ica@ica-japan.org