MEETINGS FOR FOREIGN WOMEN
Meetings to Talk about Life in Japan “Puhuu”
“Puhuu” is Finnish and means to talk, to chat. “Puhuu” is a peer support meeting where both foreign and Japanese women get together to make friends, hear about other women’s experiences, and exchange information. In these meetings, participants divide into small groups based on the topics foreign women would like to talk about that time. Topics can cover anything related to life in Japan, for example, bilingual children’s education, cultural differences in the workplace, job hunting, neighbourhood relations, the best cherry blossom viewing spots, tips on studying Japanese, etc. You are welcome to bring your own topic, or you can just listen to others and join in when you feel like it.
The reason why we also have Japanese women joining these meetings is that they often have more information about Japan and its systems and services than most of us foreign women do. They can also explain cultural differences from the Japanese point of view which is helpful when we try to find our places in Japanese society. You can also practice your Japanese conversation skills at Puhuu.
In Puhuu meetings we speak Japanese and English. If you need an interpreter for another language, we may be able to arrange it if you tell us well in advance.
Our meetings are led by trained facilitators who have completed our facilitator training course.
We have both online and offline meetings. The offline venue in Kyoto is the Higashiyama Citizens’ Activity Center (Higashiyama Iki iki shimin katsudo sentaa) and in Tokyo the Shinjuku Multicultural Plaza in Shinjuku and Eco Farm Cafe 632 in Harajuku.
Check the meeting schedule here.
Mindfulness Meetings
We started these meetings to deal with the stress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. As we can’t meet other people as we would like, and we have to be careful all the time to not catch the virus, we wanted to explore ways to relieve this stress. In these meetings, we study different mindfulness and meditation techniques together. This meeting is non-denominational. It is not related to any specific religion or religious groups. Paruyon does not endorse any specific religion.
This meeting is for foreign women only, and we speak only English. To be able to join the meeting, you need advanced English skills. Participants of this meeting come from all over the world.
Check the meeting schedule here
Relax and Recharge Walks
This is also an event we started when it was not safe to get together indoors because of the pandemic. And even though we have online events, some of our members prefer to meet in person. It is also true that in online meetings you need internet skills and it is difficult to participate in an online meeting in a foreign language.
On our relax and recharge walks we get together in a small group and visit beautiful places where we can walk and chat freely outside. For example, we have visited a botanical garden, Jonangu shrine with beautiful autumn colours, and Nijo castle with plum trees in blossom.
During our walks we speak Japanese and English. Some participants can only speak Japanese, and some participants can only speak English. You are welcome to join these events even if you can speak only little Japanese or only little English. The goal of the event is to enjoy beautiful scenery and relax by walking together. We ask you to wear a mask at these events.
Please check our upcoming walks here.
Our meetings are made possible by a grant from Mitsubishi Foundation and Akai Hane Central Community Chest of Japan.