Russian Culture Festival opens in Japan

HAKODATE (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Culture Festival
opens in Japan this Saturday. The official opening ceremony will take
place in Hakodate on Japan's northern Hokkaido Island.
Russian Presidential envoy for international cultural cooperation
Mikhail Shvydkoi and Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Bely will
participate in the ceremony.
The programme in Hakodate begins with a performance of the State
Circus troupe, a concert of the Pyatnitsky choir and an exhibition of
unique old Japan photos collected by Russians.
The festival of Russian culture is held in the country for the sixth
year. A total of more than 7,000,000 Japanese have attended its events
over the time.
Hakodate, the site of the opening, has long played a significant role
in the development of Russian-Japanese relations. The port was one of the
first opened by Japanese authorities for Russian ships after the signing
of the Shimoda Treaty in 1855. The first consulate of the Russian empire
in Japan began to work in the city. There is a branch of Far Eastern State
University and a Russian World Fund centre at the university branch in
Hakodate. Among the city's main sights are the Resurrection Church, one of
the oldest Orthodox churches in Japan, and the Russian cemetery, where a
commemorative ceremony will be held this Saturday.