Press Release
"Japan Cultural Week"
- Okinawa Music Concert, Yosakoi dance performance, Ukiyoe exhibition, Films,
and other activities -
3rd - 7th August, at Culture House and Cultural Center, Sana'a
The Embassy of Japan in Sana'a, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, will present a series of events in Sana’a for promotion of better understanding of Japanese culture and traditional arts during the forthcoming "Japan Cultural Week" at the Culture House (Bait Al-Thaqafa) and Cultural Center (Markaz thaqafi). All events are admission-free and open to the public throughout the “Japanese Cultural Week” starting from Sunday, 3rd August, 2008. More than 3000 people enjoyed the "Japan Cultural Week” that took place last November 2007. It is coming back, and it is more attractive than last year’s.
Okinawa Music concert
Sunday, 3rd August 2008 At 19:30 to 21:00hrs, at Sana'a Cultural Center
Okinawa prefecture is located at southern part of Japan. Therefore, Okinawa has developed and inherited unique and deferent culture from mainland Japan. Okinawa music as well, is played by original music instruments such as Sanshin (stringed instrument), Taiko (drum) and Fue (flute), and peculiar words because of Okinawa dialect. The Japanese people enjoy Okinawa music because of its warm, friendly, mild, calm, cheerful and rich culture.
Japan Foundation will dispatch 4 Okinawa musicians, Mr. Suguru Ikeda, Mr. Satoshi Nakasone, Mr. Masaya Yamauchi as singers and player, and Ms. Maki Shida as a dancer. They actively play solo performance or co-star with other musician in Japan and some oversea countries.
● Main venue of Japan Cultural Week at the Sana’a Cultural House,
Demonstrations related to Japan will take place everyday from 10:00 am to 11:30. Demonstrations are: Judo and Karate on 4th August, Youth Ship Program (see below) on 5th, and Japanese Culture and Education on 6th respectively. On 7th August, Japanese Speech Contest will take place. You can see how much the Yemeni student improved their Japanese speech.
● “Sharing the experience of Japan Youth-Ship Program”
Tuesday, August 5 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Culture House.
Last year, 11 Yemeni youths attended Japan's Youth-Ship Program together with more than 250 youths from 13 other countries. The program was designed to enable all participants to spend 44 days together on board the ship so that they would know each other, different cultural backgrounds and exchange views, as well as learn more about Japan and its culture. The Yemeni participants will present their experiences of the year's Youth-Ship Program.
Ukiyoe Exhibition
Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced since he 17th century, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre and pleasure quarters. It is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan. The art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan culture of Edo (Tokyo) during the second half of the 17th century.
Japanese Film Shows
A selection of Japanese drama films with Arabic sub-title will be demonstrated from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every night at the auditorium of the Culture House according to the following schedule. The films are good for all the people regardless of sex and age and give them a glimpse of contemporary Japanese society and way of life.
○4th Aug. Monday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.“Nabbie's Love”
A story of a lady who quits her job in Tokyo to return to her home island where she had lived at her childhood. After a while from her return, she came to know Nabbie’s, her grandmother, love story with a man she knew since her childhood. An extraordinary passion seems to pass between the old island women and the dandy. But the clan system and conservative people in the island has its own rules and people's live. Enjoy a sweet live story that took place in the southern island of Japan, "Okinawa".
○5th Aug. Tuesday. from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. “Adrenaline Drive”
This movie is one of the best movie directed by Mr. Yaguchi and also one of the funniest comedies in Japan for the recent years. A story of a lady called Ms. Shizuko who got to know Mr. Suzuki, through an incident, later on, a love comedy story turned on with full of drama.
○6th Aug. Wednesday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m “Universal Laws”
Mr. Yoshiaki decides to leave his home in Ichinomiya to Tokyo, after a conflict with his father who owns a textile mill, then he started working on his way to become a leading fashion designer. After his fathers' death, Mr. Yoshiaki decides to returnhome and continues working in his father's textile mill and he tries his best to improve the over all work in the textile mill as his family business. He faced a lot of difficulties until his end surrounded by his grieving family.
○7th Aug, Thursday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. “Abduction”
Mr. Atomiya Soichiro, an executive of the Tosho Bussan Corporation was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded a ransom. Meanwhile, unconventional young cop Fuji Ichiro has been brought back from the US to help make a profile of the kidnappers. Later on, the investigation starts with many other incidents within this move.
Other activities
Every afternoon during the week from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Culture House, a variety of entertaining programs will be demonstrated for visitors to experience bits and pieces of Japanese culture and arts, such as Writing your name in Japanese (calligraphy), try on Japanese Kimono, making toys with papers (Origami), lesson for Japanese language, a cup of tea in the Japanese style, etc. Yosakoi Dance (see below), Japanese Songs and Kendo are also introduced.
"Yosakoi" dance performance
Every summer across Japan, the Japanese people enjoy various types of summer festivals with local dances. The festivals are held by local communities traditionally to pray for good harvest in autumn or propitiate the departed souls of ancestors. With Japanese traditional clothes “Kimono”, a group of Japanese and Yemeni volunteers will perform "Yosakoi" dancing, one of the most popular local dances in Kochi, western part of Japan. The demonstration will take place on, August4, 5 and 7 between 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
|
