Miguel Ángel Echeverría Tager
（2019/10/09）

Seven trainees from Guatemala and one from Honduras arrived at Japan on the afternoon of Sunday, October 6, to attend a workshop held at Kanazawa University. This yearly training workshop is part of the Project for the Development of Human Resources and Support of Self-Organization in the Tikal National Park Tourist Corridor that is organized by the Center of Cultural Studies of the same university. Representatives of various institutions and communities involved in this project were invited to participate this year: Ms. Ingrid Francisca Morales Jiménez from the community of Ixlú, Ms. Cristel Michell Pineda Orellana from Tikal National Park, Mr. José Francisco Cano Ozaeta from INGUAT (Guatemalan Institute of Tourism), Mr. Carlos Abigail González Gonzáles from INTECAP (Institute of Technical Training and Productivity), and Mr. Mynor Alexander Urizar Chavarría and Mr. Miguel Ángel Echeverría Tager who work as assistants of the project director, Prof. Seiichi Nakamura.

Orientation session with the recently arrived trainees at the Garden Hotel. In the background: Mr. Taki Toru, translator, Ms. Risa Ogata, acting as master of ceremonies, and Dr. Seiichi Nakamura presiding the session.

Next morning, on Monday, October 7, the official opening ceremony hosted by Ms. Risa Ogata, head of JICA Domestic Affairs, was held at the University of Kanazawa. Prof. Yoichi Nishimoto, Chair of the Center for Cultural Resource Studies, Prof. Seiichi Nakamura, also from the center for Cultural Resource Studies and director of the project, and Mr. Yoshihiko Chujo and Mr. Tetsuhiro Ike from JICA Hokuriku attended the ceremony and welcomed the participants. In their speeches they remarked the importance this project has for their respective institutions. On behalf of the group of trainees, Mr. Francisco Cano also had the opportunity to address the attendants with a speech that expressed the group´s gratitude to the university and to JICA.

After the ceremony, Ms. Risa Ogata herself guided the group on a tour around Kakuma Campus. The group walked around the different buildings of the university and visited the Center for Cultural Studies, the Center for Regional Collaboration, the Natural Science and Technology Main Hall, the Central Library, and the Kanazawa University Museum where they were able to learn about the history of the university and appreciate works of cultural and historical value.

In the afternoon, the group paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Koetsu Yamazaki and Prof. Yoshio Otani, president and vice-president of the university. Directors of JICA Hokuriku, Mr. Kazuhiko Kikuchi and , Mr. Tetsuhiro Ike were also present during this visit where the trainees were welcomed with a cup of green tea and a traditional chestnut dessert. This time, it was Ms. Cristel Michell Pineda Orellana who spoke on behalf of the group. After the meeting, the president, the vice-president, and the trainees exchanged gifts.

Photo session after the meeting. Standing (left to right): Prof. Yoshio Otani, Mr. Miguel Ángel Echeverría, Mr. Cristian Aguilar, Mr Carlos Gonzáles, Mr. Alexander Urizar; seated (left to right): Mr. Kazuhiro Kikuchi, Prof, Seiichi Nakamura, Prof. Koetsu Yamazaki, Ms. Cristel Pineda, Mr. Francisco Cano, Ms. Ingrid Morales

Prof. Koetsu Yamazaki (left) and Prof. Yoshio Otani (right) receiving a gift from one of the trainees

• Japanese