District Activities

The North Kanto District covers Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki, and Saitama Prefectures. Our members live in or near the major hubs of these four prefectures: Mito, Tsukba, Oyama, Sano, Utsunomiya, Tatebayashi, Takasaki, Omiya, Saitama City, Kawagoe, etc.  Our activities include wine tasting, museum visits, family picnics, ladies’ nights out as well as just meeting up for lunch or coffee. We communicate mainly through our Facebook group. Recently we have been having casual monthly Zoom meetings to just chat and visit with each other.

Our District is identical with the borders of Chiba Prefecture, but we welcome everyone who would like to join. Most of the membership lives in the Northwestern part of Chiba, but we have members scattered all around the prefecture. Our main communication is via the e-mail group and Facebook group. Additionally to the monthly Craft and Chat, taking place in Makuhari, we have seasonal and one-time events, both at members’ places and out and about.

The Tokyo District consists of members living in Tokyo but we also welcome visitors and those living in nearby prefectures to join our events and activities. These include coffee mornings, walks in local parks, and nights out and more recently online catch ups via Zoom. Members are encouraged to create their own events, both online and in person and we enjoy bringing people from different backgrounds and ages together. Tokyo District members communicate mostly through the district email and the AFWJ Kanto page. 

The Kanagawa District consists of members living in Kanagawa-ken, though we also have quite a few  “honorary members” from Tokyo who often take part in our activities. Our activities include a monthly Ladies Night Out, regular Kamakura hikes, lunches, afternoon tea, coffee mornings, annual moon viewing, Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving, Christmas and bonenkai parties. Some coffee mornings are still on Zoom, but others are in person. We also have occasional outings into the less central areas of the prefecture. Additionally, we are busy organizing the 2023 Convention. All members are encouraged  to create their own events. We make a special effort to welcome visitors from other more distant districts!  

The Kansai, Chugoku & Shikoku District takes in a large area, from the metropolises of Osaka and Kyoto, to the Sea of Japan coast and the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea and over including the varied landscapes of Shikoku, rich in nature, with mountains to climb and rivers to raft. Along with the cultural diversity that comes naturally with AFWJ, there is also great diversity in terms of lifestyles, home settings and local culture among our members. Our district has an annual tradition of holding a New Year party in Kyoto, giving us all a wonderful opportunity to get together and enjoy this beautiful city. Taking in the area around the Seto Inland Sea and the Shimanami Kaido cycling course means that we also have the chance of hosting members of the AFWJ Cycling group. From the city to the sea and everything in between, there are so many interesting people to meet in the Kansai, Chugoku & Shikoku district.

The Kyushu & Okinawa District has members in all the prefectures of Kyushu, as well as in Okinawa and Yamaguchi, living in very diverse environments. We stay in touch online via the AFWJ Kyushu Facebook group and LINE. Recently, we have been holding Trivia Quiz nights on Zoom which allow all members to socialize and have fun. We have a varied schedule of events organized by members in different local areas, from outdoor family events to women-only lunches or dinners. The most recent was a walk and picnic at Mikaeri no Taki Falls near Karatsu in Saga prefecture, followed by Stand Up Paddling at Karatsu beach, attended by women and families from four prefectures. Annual events include a family camp at a temple in Miyazaki, carol singing at a hospice in Fukuoka, and a mini-convention.