Prague hosts Japanese week of culture
Over the past few years, relations between the Czech Republic and Japan have blossomed. This week, another step was taken to bring the two countries closer. This time it was in the field of culture as a Japanese Week was launched for the first time in Prague. Dita Asiedu reports:
Under the initiative of the Japanese state some 1500 artists will be performing on Prague stages, introducing Japanese crafts, music, dance, tea rituals and other traditional cultural activities. Tomio Okamura, whose father is Japanese and mother Czech, is the co-ordinator of Japanese Week in Prague:
"The Japanese Week has been going since 1986, when it was first organised in Florence, Italy. It mainly came into being thanks to Japan's economic power, which created space for the promotion of Japan's culture abroad. With the introduction of the traditions and culture from Japan - a country that lies on the other side of the globe - we are taking a step to showing that good relations don't have to have anything to do with race."
Although Japan is so far away, links between the two countries have grown fast. Today Czech classical music is enjoying a boom in Japan, and the last couple of years have seen a dramatic growth in Japanese investment in this country. But this festival is very much about culture.
