Japanese cultural festival opens in Isfahan

TEHRAN,Jan.21(MNA) -- The Japanese cultural festival was opened in the Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday to express thanks to Iranians who shared their sympathy with the quake-stricken people of Fukushima. Kinichi Komano, Japan’s ambassador to Tehran, who was attending the opening ceremony in Isfahan, was quite pleased that Isfahan is hosting the first Japanese cultural festival. However, the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran will be hosting the event next from January 25 to 29. Japan enjoys a rich art and culture such as traditional paintings, calligraphy, the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanuyo) and the Japanese flower arranging ceremony (Ikebana), Komano said. The ambassador further noted that the festival helps expand bilateral understanding, and also aims to show the Iranians that Japan is now ready to reconstruct the quake-stricken regions thanks to their sympathy and support. Isfahan Governor General Alireza Zaker Isfahani, also present at the ceremony, expressed hope that the festival helps introduce part of the art and culture of Japan to the people of Isfahan. The students studying at the girls’ art schools in Isfahan will get a chance to learn origami during the festival in Isfahan. Origami is the traditional Japanese art or technique of folding paper into a variety of decorative or representational forms, as of animals, mostly cranes, or flowers. The paintings created by children of quake-stricken regions as well as a photo exhibition featuring the Fukushima earthquake and the reconstruction process will go on show in Tehran next.