Festival to offer Japanese culture

JAKARTA: People interested in Japanese culture will have a chance for a small taste during the two-day Bon Odori Festival, to be held at the Hilton hotel, Central Jakarta, starting on Friday, the Japanese embassy has announced.

The festival, to be held as part of the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival running the month of July, features the traditional communal dance, bon odori, and will also offer various kinds of Japanese foods and snacks, the embassy said in a statement on Thursday.

Ikebana, the art of floral arrangement, origami, the art of folding paper into a variety of decorative forms, and martial arts demonstrations -- karate, judo and kendo -- will also be shown during the festival, as well as the celebrated art of tea, or sado. Calligraphy scrolls will also be on display.

The event, arranged by the Jakarta Japan Club Foundation, is free of charge and open to the public, Antara reported.

The Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival is being held in conjunction with the Japan-ASEAN Exchange Year 2003, a regional cultural exchange initiative to celebrate Japan's long-standing partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Japan is an ASEAN dialog partner, as well as a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which consists of all 10 ASEAN member nations and 13 partner nations. -- JP