The Diplomat
The Ambassador of Japan, Takahiro Nakamae, will inaugurate the 23rd Japan Cultural Week organised from 11 to 15 March by the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre of Salamanca (Plaza San Boal, 11-13), co-organised by the Embassy of Japan, with the collaboration of the Japan Foundation, the University of Nanzan and Laberinto Gris Art.
Also present at the event will be Ricardo Rivero, Rector Magnificent of the University of Salamanca, and José Abel Flores, Director of the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre.
As an inaugural activity, the Japan Zarzuela Association, created by soprano Yumi Sakurada in 2001 to introduce this genre to Japan and contribute to fostering cultural cooperation between Japan and Spain, will perform La princesa Kaguya, a story based on an ancient and mysterious Japanese tale by an unknown author.
Throughout the week, there will be a variety of activities, including a tea ceremony, a concert of Japanese songs by the Japan Zarzuela Association, workshops on traditional Japanese games, a conference and an exhibition on Fantasy art, among others.
In addition, the same association will give a concert of Japanese songs the following day. On 13 March there will be a demonstration of the tea ceremony, a very popular event for which early arrival is recommended. And on the last day, 15 March, there will be a lecture on the writer Izumi Kyoka by a professor from Kanagawa University.
There are also events for children, including a storytelling session of The Three Magic Cards on 13 March, and a workshop on traditional Japanese games by students from Nanzan University on 15 March. For these two events, prior registration is required at the office of the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre.
In addition to the aforementioned activities, there will be the exhibition Komorebi Eterno, Japan through Fantasy Art’, by Romulo Royo and Luis Royo, which can be seen from 11 March until 30 April in the Aula Magna S.M. The Empress Michiko of the cultural centre from 11 am to 1.30 pm and from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm.