Feeling keenly the importance of food education, residents in areas of fishing villages have come together to provide home-stays as learning experiences for school children from the cities. The number of residents opening their homes to students in 2013 was thirty times more than at the start of the program, increasing steadily year by year.The home-stays and cooking classes are making a real contribution to the region, as along with communicating the attractions and food culture of the fishing villages to young people, the interactions with students from urban areas has also proved a welcome stimulus to older residents.

The International Pacific Marine Educators Network Conference was held this past summer in Tokyo and Iwate Prefecture. At the main conference, attended by 20 marine educators from 8 countries, 4 themes concerned with possibilities for reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami were addressed and discussions held on the significance and contributions of marine education towards reconstruction in coastal areas. Along with further strengthening the international network of marine educators, I hope to contribute to the sustainable use and conservation of the global environment.

A variety of events are held in Kobe Port throughout the year, giving local residents the chance to become more familiar with the port and making the waterfront a lively place for their recreation. Of these events, the cutter race, in which this year's participants numbered 106 teams from all over the country, has been held for 36 years and grown into a major attraction. Through the cutter race, we at the Port of Kobe hope to continue to popularize the know-how involved in creating a vibrant waterfront.