The Embassy of Japan hosted a booth to promote Japan as a tourism and cultural destination during the Vesak Day festival, which was held on May 7th at Ottawa City Hall. May is designated by the federal government as Asian Heritage Month, and the Vesak Day festival was organized as part of this to commemorate the birth of Buddha. The event featured a variety of performances by diverse Asian communities and booths set up by Asian diplomatic corps.

At the Japan Booth, visitors sampled Japanese tea and enjoyed Origami demonstrations. Embassy staff also provided tourism brochures and played a DVD on tourism in Japan. Some visitors asked questions about how to purchase Japanese tea and sought information on visiting Mount Fuji. The event provided a good opportunity to enhance their interest in Japan.