Festival to offer Japanese culture

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