The 6th Japan Festival will stream live on February 12 and 13, in a record first for the event. The Japan Festival is the biggest Japanese event in the Lao PDR, which has been running once every two or three years since 2011.
In the past, various stage performances and activities delighted the live audience. This year, by holding it online, not only residents in Vientiane but also people living in other provinces can enjoy the various programmes.
The first day will kick off with a dance performance presented by students from Sakura High School in Japan. Short films of the cities of Takayama, Tahara, and Ise, as well as Kumamoto Prefecture will show the charms of different areas and their friendly relationship with the Lao PDR. In addition, Japanese volunteers who are working in the Lao PDR will give presentations about their home-towns.
Meanwhile, JICA’s projects and activities in the Lao PDR will be introduced through a movie and interview with the Chief Resident Representative of JICA Laos. Activities from the Lao-Japan Institute will be also presented, with a demonstration of how to put on and wear a yukata. Furthermore, the Japan Quiz Competition will take place as participants will compete against each other with their knowledge about Japan.
“Art, Culture and Japanese Language” from the Vientiane office of the Japan Foundation Asia Center, will kick off the second day to introduce the role of the center. The Japan Heart, an international medical volunteers’ organization will explain how their medical support has saved many lives in the Lao PDR.
Programs about Japanese home cooking and the Japanese tea ceremony will also be shown. The chef at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence will give a lecture on the characteristics and charms of Japanese cuisine, as well as a presentation on Japanese sake, showing types of sake and how to enjoy sake, with guidance about sake-food pairings.
The event will be a chance for Lao people to deepen understanding of Japan and to increase feelings of closeness toward Japan.
For more information, please see the Facebook of Japan Festival in Laos (https://www.facebook.com/JapanFesLaos).
Source: Lao News Agency