IIA - Iwaki International Association

Iwaki is home to a few thousand foreigners – mainly comprising English teachers. Iwaki’s city hall has an Iwaki International Association ( IIA) . The IIA caters to the needs of the foreigners in Iwaki and is a very active Association.It also publishes a monthly newsletter called Time Out and a seasonal magazine called Iwaki Vision. Both publications are sent to members at their home and they also have a online edition. These publications list down the forthcoming events in and around Iwaki, a guide to the seasonal activities in town and also serve as a good medium for people offering various services and mainly aimed at the foreigner community.

It  also organizes lots of events around the year and the few members that I have met have come across as a friendly, cheerful and jolly lot. Actually a lot of local Japanese are also active members who want to interact with the English speaking community and these people try and help out the foreigners with the language and other things that are essential in living a comfortable life. Infact the IIA also helps with Japanese lessons and arranges for volunteers who offer to teach Japanese to foreigners for no cost. Considering that Japan is an expensive country to live in, this is a great help. We too are taking Japanese lessons from a volunteer from the IIA. These volunteers are not trained teachers but normal people who want to brush up their English through interaction with foreigners and in turn teach Japanese. This may not be the fastest way to learn Japanese but yes it is a great way to interact with the locals and making friends and learning about the Japanese culture.

The IIA lives up to its motto : Fostering Friendships regardless of Nationality"

 Iwaki International Association  (IIA)