Japanese bands to spice up Janadriyah festival

Author: 
GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS
Publication Date: 
Tue, 2011-04-12 02:33

Hisashi Tokunaga, vice minister of foreign affairs, will lead Tokyo's delegation to the festival on behalf of Japanese Premier Naoto Kan, who canceled his scheduled visit to the Kingdom following the recent earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday evening, Fumio Iwai, minister and deputy mission chief at the Japanese Embassy in Riyadh, said extensive preparations had been made to offer a true Japanese experience for visitors of the festival, which begins on Wednesday.
A visual presentation about the highlights of the Japanese pavilion was made during the press briefing.
Top Japanese officials and organizers including Sugaya Masamichi, member of the organizing panel, and Yukiko Constantinescu, head of culture and education at the Japanese Embassy, also attended the press conference.
Japan's participation in Janadriyah is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Japan Foundation, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan Tourism Agency and Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East.
Iwai said full-scale preparations had been made despite the natural disaster that devastated parts of that country.
Besides stage performances by Japanese musicians, a major attraction at the Japanese pavilion will be a karate and kobujutsu (martial arts) demonstration, he noted.
The music show will comprise celebrated bands like "Ondekoza," "Bamboo Orchestra" and "Kazutoki Umezu Trio."
“In fact, Japan will show all aspects of Japanese lifestyle to the Saudi people,” added Iwai, referring to growing Riyadh-Tokyo relations.
He said Japan was the Kingdom’s second largest trading partner, adding that first diplomatic contact occurred back in 1938 when the then Saudi Ambassador to Britain Hafiz Wahba traveled and attended a ceremony commemorating the inauguration of a mosque in Tokyo.
"More than 50 years have passed since the beginning of the friendship … and the relationship has grown even stronger in all fields," he added.
On cultural front, Iwai said that the two countries have forged closer relations. A surge in the popularity of Japanese video games, television dramas and Japanese martial arts has been witnessed in the Kingdom in recent years, said the diplomat.
He pointed out that a number of Japanese companies, including Panasonic, Toyota, Nissan, Sony and Isuzu, would participate in the event.
A Japanese company will also install the world’s largest television units, including a 152-inch flat screen plasma and 103-inch 3D TV set, to relay festival highlights. Among other activities and attractions of the Janadriyah festival, Japanese automakers will display their products lines that range from high-performing pickups to riveting cars. The festival is likely to attract some 2 million visitors this year. The 17-day festival will conclude on April 29.

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