‘Northeast Japan Caravan’ underway in Kohima

KOHIMA — The final leg of a cultural event called ‘Northeast Japan Caravan 2023’ was inaugurated at the Capital Cultural Hall in Kohima on Friday. The event is aimed at promoting the Japanese language and culture.

The event is being organised by a team of five delegates namely Aoi Ishimaru, director of Arts and Culture at Japan Foundation New Delhi; Taisei Toyomaru, director of Japanese Studies and Language; Chiaki Suzuki, advisor of Japanese Language; Ashwaty Devadas, PR coordinator; and Praveen Rawat, programme coordinator.

After the morning’s inauguration ceremony, the delegates engaged with a group of youngsters by imparting knowledge about the Japanese language and culture through a series of interactive language sessions, selective anime movie screenings, and cultural workshops.

The event will continue on Saturday at the same venue running from 10 am to 5 pm, which will be open to everyone. The participants will be provided an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of Japan besides encouraging them to consider Japanese language studies in their higher education and explore career opportunities in Japan.

It was informed that the event took place last year in Imphal, Guwahati and Dimapur. The in Kohima would be followed in Shillong and Aizawl.

On the sidelines of an engaging session, Aoi Ishimaru informed Eastern Mirror that in their efforts to promote Japanese culture and language, they have been exploring various cities in the northeast. She noted the significant popularity of Japanese culture in Nagaland and expressed delight at being in a land with shared historical ties to Japan.

Ishimaru emphasised their focus on the northeast region to deepen their understanding of its culture, given the mutual interest shown by both the Indian and Japanese governments in the area.