W

hile parts of the globe face turmoil and upheaval, some wives of Asia-Pacific diplomats posted to Tokyo are working to promote peace and international friendship through food, handicrafts and charity fundraisers.

The Asia-Pacific Ladies Friendship Society (ALFS), an informal organization composed of the wives of diplomats from 25 Asia-Pacific countries currently posted to Japan, recently completed its annual Asia-Pacific Festival and Charity Bazaar.

Princess Akishino, the wife of Japanese Emperor Akihito's second son, opened the event at the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo hotel.

The wives of Indonesian diplomats said they were honored by the first-ever visit of Princess Akishino to the event. Princess Kiko, as she is called affectionately, had asked specifically about one item sold at the bazaar, a palm-sized wooden cicak (gecko lizard) adorned with batik motifs. After the background of the object was described, the princess, unexpectedly, told her staff to buy it.

ALFS's Indonesian members said the event would promote Indonesia through the sales of handicrafts and food at the bazaar. The event was also an important part of the association's mission to foster friendship through cultural exchange programs between Asia-Pacific nations and Japan, one organizer said. The 43-year-old organization also held fundraisers to help women, children and disaster victims in member countries, she added.

The Indonesian pavilion, where the Indonesian wives sold rattan bags, dish covers, and batik bags, shawls, dresses and head scarves, was full of buyers on the bazaar's first day. Supplies of tempe (soybean cake), lemper (glutinous rice and meat), shrimp chips, fried rice and noodles had quickly sold out.

One American enthusiast of handmade Indonesian products said she was attracted by bags made of rattan and leather. "I like Indonesian furniture and handicrafts. When I was assigned to South Africa, I always brought furniture and pillows from Indonesia with me," she said

Japanese and other foreign women crowded Runi Palar's booth of Indonesian silver ornaments. Palar said her silverware had been selling fast.

Indonesian head scarves were also popular at the bazaar. The usual buyers were women from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Brunei, but the scarves also found a market among Japanese ladies.

"I'll use this paillette-studded scarf for my hat and match it with my own clothes," said Reiko Suzuki, a dressmaking teacher. Another Japanese woman bought a colorful Indonesian scarf to cover her head and neck during winter.

Vivien Yuliantoro, chairperson of the Indonesian embassy's women's club in Tokyo, said Indonesian handicrafts should be presented and promoted to the public continuously to keep consumer awareness at a high level.

She had observed consumer behavior at the bazaar for several years. "*The Japanese* like high-quality goods. Japanese consumers have very sharp eyes and are tough bargainers," she said.

"Some regular visitors, particularly Japanese women, are very familiar the bazaar and are enthusiastic about specific *Indonesian* products. These customers will promote Indonesian handicrafts in the years to come," said Lastrijah Jusuf Anwar, wife of the Indonesian Ambassador to Japan.

There was a raffle of round-trip tickets from Tokyo to different AFLS countries at the event. Garuda Indonesia had sponsored the event for the last several years, said a bazaar organizer.

"It's a chance for Indonesians to promote our handicrafts and cuisine, and to promote our country as a tourist destination," Lastrijah said. The Indonesian wives had also joined in ALFS's previous fundraisers for humanitarian relief in other ALFS member countries, added.

Proceeds from the sales at the Indonesian pavilion would be first be collected by the ALFS and later distributed to support humanitarian projects in Indonesia. ALFS donated *900,000,000 Japanese *US$9.7 million* to Indonesia over the last several years, which had been distributed through the Foreign Affairs Ministry's womens' organization and the Indonesian Women's Congress, said Lastrijah.