Japan Night at Carleton University
On April 12th, Carleton University and the Embassy of Japan co-hosted “Japan Night” at Carleton University’s Fenn Lounge. Over 150 participants, including Japanese students and Japanese language students, attended to celebrate Japanese culture and take part in a range of cultural demonstrations and workshops showcasing a wide variety of Japanese traditional cultural activities. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Heart and Body.”
In his opening remarks, Minister Yawata expressed his appreciation for the longstanding tradition of Japan Night at Carleton University, which just celebrated its 20th year. He also noted that considering some of Japan’s achievements over the last year, notably traditional Japanese cuisine, Washoku, being added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list and Tokyo being chosen as the host city for the 2020 Olympic Games, it was very fitting as the program include a sushi making workshop by Ambassador’s residence chef, Mr. Hamana and demonstrations of Japanese martial arts, Kendo and Judo.
Dr. Iryna Kozlova, assistant director of Modern Languages at Carleton University, noted in her remarks that that there are more than 500 students studying Japanese at Carleton University who she hopes will act as an important bridge between Japan and Canada in the future.
During the event, visitors enjoyed judo and kendo demonstrations, a shamisen performance, as well as booths where they could try calligraphy, origami, kirigami and karuta (traditional Japanese playing cards competition). The event was the perfect opportunity for guests to experience different aspects Japanese culture and share their love of Japan with their fellow students outside of the classroom. |
