The first festival under the title 'Kobe Global Charity Festival' was held at the Kobe Club on 30, 31 October 1999. The theme was 'Culture Sharing & Children Caring'.

But this event has a history that dates back more than 20 years.

At the start of the 80s, Jay and Sumi Gluck, then American residents of Ashiya, and some Japanese who ran businesses in Kobe's Kitano-cho, had the idea of holding a traditional Japanese summer festival that would bring together all local residents, foreign and Japanese. They approached Kitano Tenmangu, a shrine little visited at that time, to provide the venue, and the first Kitano International Festival was held in the summer of 1981. In one corner several foreigners and Japanese set up a Charity Table to sell second-hand goods, and that first year 160,000 yen was raised. That was the start of charity fund-raising at this annual festival.

After the Glucks returned to the US in 1998, by amicable agreement the charity events were split off from the Kitano International Festival at the Tenmangu Shrine. The concept of a charity event was expanded and the Kobe Global Charity Festival was born.

TOP | PROGRAM | 2005 RESULTS | PARTICIPATION | PHOTO GALLERY