　On the morning of November 21, 5 specialists of international exchange visited Meguro UNESCO. Mr. Fujii, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT), guided them to our office. They came from 3 Nordic countries for a program carried out by TIT, Research and Cooperation Department, of the 3rd AIEJ/UNESCO Youth

Exchange Trust Fund. Their purpose was to learn about the international exchange programs, international education organizations and cultural heritages of Japan to deepen their understandings of Japan. This occasion arose from their requests.　At Meguro UNESCO office, Ms. Kato, the president, and

Ms. F. Harada, a trustee, explained the situation and the activities of private UNESCO Clubs and Associations in Japan. Then, they visited “Japanese Language Classes” at Moriya Educational Center. On 23rd, they also visited “UNESCO Art Exhibition” which was held at the Citizens’ Gallery, Meguro Museum of Art.

　On October 24, 11 students from Thailand and the Philippines who specialized in electronics, visited UNESCO’s Japanese Language Classes, guided by Mr. Hirano of TIT. They came to Japan for 3 weeks for the AIEJ/UNESCO Training Program. Before coming to the classroom, they stopped by UNESCO office to learn about our activities and spent time together for a discussion. Although they did not understand Japanese language, they seemed to have very deep interests on our widespread activities.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Reported by Shimizu

　Recently, I read some writing by Hideo Kobayashi (a famous Japanese novelist), and there, I found a phrase I favored. “Nature can be a mirror for humans. A Painter wishes to be freed by artificial restraints, and intend to paint nature without any desires. However, the nature silently reflects nothing but the shape of his inner thoughts, which he believes to be free of desire. (Monet, Modern Paintings)

As Kobayashi commented, I believed I was painting without any desires. However, I realized as a result, what I saw in the campus was a mirror of myself. During the UNESCO Art Exhibition, one of the pupils in my pastel class murmured　“Why do we all paint differently, despite the fact that we paint in the same classroom, using same motif and using same tools?” I assumed her point was something beyond whether he/she was good or bad at paintings, but something like personality or inner heart of each pupil expressed in their own paintings. Whether consciously or not, the inner side would be expressed. Even if I would not understand my inner thoughts, the others could see clearly. Even if I try to paint nicely, everyone else could see the truth through my paintings. Thus I tell myself, just paint honestly, without complicated thinking, but this seems to be the most difficult task.　　　　　　　　Instructor of the Pastel painting class