Visit to a Summer Camp and a Local Orphanage
During the second half of the Japan-Russia Youth Exchange trip, the group visited a summer camp for children and Malookhtinskiy Dom Trudolyubiya (House of Diligence).
If the first half of the trip and AniCon was about spending time with fellow otaku and sharing a passion for the same things, then the second half was about spending time with much smaller children, most of who have possibly never even heard of the country, Japan. From the smiles on their faces, the children looked to be utterly enjoying themselves as they learned the dance moves to one of LinQ’s song and danced it with them and took photos with the maids using their Cheki instant camera.
I’m sure the group will never forget them. It would be great if they all remember the events of that day, too. And I hope that we can meet up somewhere again one day.

I’ve now been making visits to Russia for 7 years straight, but as I watched the children and their beaming faces, I realized I still don’t know enough about the people of Russia and their lifestyle and I want to know more. I think the other group members probably felt the same.
The feeling of wanting to learn more about the people of a particular country is just as important as sharing a passion for the same things. These are the fundamentals of cultural diplomacy and that’s what my trip to Russia has taught me.
Sumire Uesaka wanted to spend more time with all the people in Russia but had to return to Japan ahead of schedule due to work commitments, and I understand exactly how she felt.
I still have so much more I want to discuss with Sumire about cultural diplomacy. Have faith – where there’s a will, there’s a way.

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