Christmas charity event in Karatsu

On December 17th, the “Christmas Charity Event in Support of Ukraine in Karatsu,” co-organized with UAFukuoka, was held at Maizuruso, Karatsu City, Saga prefecture. 

The event had an informational and entertaining program. Professors and students from Kyushu University, Kumamoto University, and the Japan University of Economics visited us, gave speeches, and interacted with Karatsu Minami High School students. As a result, the students had a valuable international exchange experience in Karatsu. The major feat of the event was the cooking of the traditional Ukrainian borsch – the dish historically embedded in Ukrainian culture that was recently inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Unesco. Thanks to the excellent coordination by Shota Kinoshita (Karatsu FARM&FOOD NPO), we obtained the crucial components for the classic Borsch recipe from local farmers. More than ten people’s teams consisted of Ukrainians who study and work at Kyushu University, Japanese volunteers from 0100 Karatsu city community circle and Karatsu Minami High School, and many others who provided logistical support. We prepared more than 120 L of borsch and distributed it among visitors who attended and donated to the cause of Ukraine.