An online event brings together kids from around the world through their favorite anime

On November 15, elementary and middle school students from Japan and other countries will be able to meet in an online event designed to share their passion for anime. It is organized by NIJIN Academy through its extracurricular activities project.

The festival is called 11月放課後フェス～好きなアニメで世界に友達をつくろう！～, something like "November After-School Festival: Let's make friends around the world through the anime we love!". The idea is simple: use anime as a starting point for kids from different countries to talk, even if they don't speak the same language.

How to join the festival

The event will be held entirely online and is aimed at elementary and middle school students. To sign up, you need to register on the event's Peatix page, where all the details are. A high level of Japanese or English is not required: the idea is that a shared love for the same series gets the conversation going.

NIJIN Academy explains that many kids feel they won't be able to take part in international activities if they don't master another language. But this festival wants to show that you don't need to be bilingual to connect with someone who enjoys the same thing you do.

Online platform with avatars and a virtual environment to interact during the event.google.com

A different way to spend the afternoon

NIJIN Academy already works with kids on programming, artificial intelligence, and creative projects. This festival is the entry point to those kinds of experiences, where kids don't just take classes but also propose and develop their own ideas.

The company behind the project, NIJIN, was founded in 2022 by former elementary school teacher Hoshino Tatsuro. Its goal is to create educational spaces for kids who don't quite fit into the traditional school system, and this anime event is an extension of that philosophy.

The festival takes place on Sunday, November 15. If you know someone who wants to join or you wish something like this had existed when you were in school, tell us in the comments which series you would pick to break the ice.