By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

ABOUT 350 people participating in the Ocean University’s annual tour of Guam visited the University of Guam recently as part of their cultural exchange tour.
The visit is part of the Ocean University/Wakai Nekko no Kai’s 39th visit to Guam, which aims to promote cultural understanding and exchange between Guam and Japan.
During their call at UOG, the visitors were treated to a performance by the University Singers and the UOG Jazz Band.
UOG students studying Japanese also escorted the group around the campus.
The Ocean University was formed by members of a Japanese cultural group, the Wakai Nekko no Kai, or the Young Roots Association.
The Wakai Nekko no Kai is one of the biggest cultural clubs in Japan that attract the young and young at heart. The association sponsors music concerts, organizes variety and talk shows, publishes books and magazines, and hosts forums on various social problems.
They also invite various people as lecturers, such as writers, novelists, musicians, actors/actresses, presidents of private agencies, as well as school officials.
One of their biggest events is the Ocean University, which offers a cruise trip to Guam and Saipan during the Golden Week holiday.
The purpose of this program is to examine the relationship between Japan and its Pacific neighbors, to gain other viewpoints about Japan’s political and economic relations with the Pacific, and to gain insight into each individual’s place in this relationship.
During their tour, Ocean University students or members of Wakai Nekko no Kai attend lectures on international relationships, English conversation, and a wide range of humanities courses.
Members of the group, actively involved in international social activities in the world and Japan, have been coming to Guam since 1972 and have brought over 16,500 people in their 34 years of travel to Guam.