The HIWC membership is comprised of both Japanese and international visitors. This offers a unique opportunity for foreign women to get to know Japanese women on a personal level.
The club enjoys tremendous support, dedication and enthusiasm from its Japanese members.
In addition, HIWC coordinates a Newcomers Coffee and Membership Chairperson to assist new arrivals to Hiroshima in the initial stages of settling in. We help members with anything from emergencies to finding favorite foods.
If you are free, they meet on the 2nd Monday of each month from September through May at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly known as ANA Hotel) Hiroshima, on Peace Boulevard (Heiwa-Odori). Parking is available at the Hotel during meetings for 300 yen. The meeting time is 9:30-10:30 for social/registration time, the meetings being from 10:30 – 12:00. There is a membership fee is 10,000 yen per year and if visiting as a guest, there is a fee of 1,000 yen per meeting. Some degree of fluency in English is necessary as all meetings will be conducted in English.
HIWC also welcomes children to all activities and outings.

The HIWC provides unique opportunities to share information, goodwill and international friendships. Through various activities and outings, the club supports the intellectual, cultural and social interests of people from nationalities all over the world.
Many smaller group meetings and activities are regularly held, providing further opportunities to socialize and make friends. There are many activities and events to choose from and you can you can find details on the HIWC website. HIWC is a wonderful resource for Hiroshima's women - it provides a great way for them to be introduced to a support group of foreign women living in similar situations, as well as giving newcomers instant access to many knowledgeable and friendly Japanese women. Being given many opportunities to make lifelong Japanese and foreign friends is one of the most precious things about club membership. There are so many confusing things about living in Japan for people who just arrive, especially for women who are often given the tasks of dealing with shopping, garbage, getting kids into school, finding babysitters and more, but which are drastically different when living in another country. The Japanese and foreign women in the group work together as a team and are equally dedicated to introducing the new members to Japanese life, culture and the arts. The club was originally established to act as a way to hold international community events and for foreign and Japanese women to get together and become friends as well as exchange ideas. The club also benefits the Hiroshima community as a whole through their volunteer work and donations to charities in Hiroshima and around Japan. The board members organize many Japanese cultural lessons, excursions and activities such as ikebana, how to wear a kimono, do tea ceremony and so on. There is a lot more than Japanese culture on the agenda- they plan very interesting monthly outings, enjoy chatting over coffee and they plan a variety of interesting guest speakers to come and present at their meetings throughout the year. The HIWC membership is around 81 members at the moment. The board would love to encourage the rich and diverse group of foreign women living in Hiroshima to join, They encourage women, not only-expats or corporate women, but also students, English teachers, and more to join.

If you want to learn more about the club, have a look at their website:

Here is some information from the Hiroshima International Women's Club website
HIWC activities include:

• Cultural Activites
• Art History and Calligraphy
• Japanese and International Cooking Classes
• Ikebana Classes

• Social Activities
• General Meetings
• Outings and Events
• Outdoors and Sports

• Charitable Activities
• Donating money and supplies to charitable organizations
• Weekly visits to the Children's Home
• Helping where needed

  The HIWC membership is comprised of both Japanese and international visitors. This offers a unique opportunity for foreign women to get to know Japanese women on a personal level. The club enjoys tremendous support, dedication and enthusiasm from its Japanese members.
  In addition, HIWC coordinates a Newcomers Coffee and Membership Chairperson to assist new arrivals to Hiroshima in the initial stages of settling in. We help members with anything from emergencies to finding favorite foods.