Japanese mission plans month-long cultural display

Ninja, karate and judo to accompany origami, bonsai and ikebana demonstrations

ISLAMABAD: To show the rich cultural diversity and traditions of Japan, the Embassy of Japan is organizing a variety of cultural activities under the banner of “A Month of Japanese Culture” starting from November 14th, 2019 in Islamabad.

To kick start the month-long cultural activities, On November 14th, Assistant Prof Dr Satoshi Naiki, an eminent Japanese expert on Gandhara civilization from Kyoto University, who is currently leading a Japanese Archaeological Mission in Pakistan, would deliver a lecture on the Legacy of Gandhara at the Centre for Culture and Development.

Followed by the lecture on Gandhara civilization, on November 19th, “Japan Festival 2019” would be organized at the premises of the National University of Modern Languages.

The day-long Japan festival would be inaugurated by Japanese Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda, together with the Rector of NUML.

“Japan festival 2019”, which is being organised with the cooperation of National University of Modern Languages, will begin with the Japanese Language Speech Contest among the students of Japanese language department and will be followed by other colourful cultural performances such as Kendo demonstration, Taiko performance, Karate and Judo demonstration, Ninja performance, Origami workshop, Bonsai and Ikebana demonstrations.

This festival aims to highlight the diverse cultural facets of Japan under one roof and to create harmony and understanding among the people of two friendly nations.

Speaking of the upcoming “A Month of Japanese Culture” festivities, Ambassador Matsuda said that the year 2022 would be commemorated as the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan and there would be an enhanced interaction in all fields between the two countries. “Culture has the power to bring people closer irrespective of their cast and creed. Since Japan and Pakistan share many cultural similarities and these month-long cultural festivities will certainly provide a window of opportunity for the Pakistani people to discover many facets of Japanese culture and its age-old traditions,” said Ambassador Matsuda.

As a part of these cultural activities, an exhibition of photographs titled “Japan through the lens of Pakistani photographers” will be inaugurated on 21st November at the National Art Gallery of PNCA.

Around 35 photographs captured by the photographers of the Photographic Society of Pakistan (PSP) would be displayed in the exhibition which they had captured during their recent visit to Japan.

Also, Japanese films would be screened at the Islamabad Club auditorium on 22nd, 26th, 27th and 29th November during the film festival being organized by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts during the Islamabad Art Festival 2019.

On November 24th, Japanese music show titled “Nihon Unplugged-Cultural Music Performance” would be held at the auditorium of PNCA where artistes arriving from Japan featuring with local musicians would showcase their talent.

The Consulate General of Japan at Karachi would also host a variety of cultural activities including the music show, Bonsai, martial arts demonstrations as part of “A Month of Japanese Culture” in Karachi.

Ambassador Matsuda emphasized that the purpose of organizing such cultural events is not only to promote harmony but also to further strengthen the Japan-Pakistan friendship. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2019.