JEDDAH: Citizens and residents of Jeddah are experiencing the rich culture, fine arts, and umami flavors of Japan at the Tomodachi Japanese Festival.
The name of the festival, which translates to ‘friends,’ began on Thursday and will run until Saturday at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.
It is bringing together fans of Japan, anime and entertainment in a vibrant and immersive experience filled with activities, interactive attractions, challenges, and FIFA18 Gaming Competitions.
The festival opened with an electrifying lineup of over 50 Japanese artists and visitors were impressed with an immersive mix of stage performances, hands-on workshops, interactive zones, workshops and street food.
It also features live calligraphy demonstrations, manga and anime art displays, and workshops designed to introduce people to traditional Japanese crafts.
The festival is also playing a pivotal role in deepening connections between Saudi Arabia and Japan, according to Bashar Abdulaziz Turkistani, organizer of the event.
He told Arab News that the festival’s mission is to help people understand Japan through real cultural interaction.
“It is a celebration of the longstanding friendship between India and Japan. It is also part of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan.
“We called it Tomodachi which is a Japanese word meaning ‘friends’ because we believe that we are friends before anything else,” Turkistani said.
He added: “We are hosting around 50 Japanese artists who came here for the first time to show their rich tradition and learn more about the Saudi culture.”
He explained that the idea was to create an atmosphere where Saudi visitors do more than observe, but can participate, explore, taste, listen, and learn about Japanese culture.
“This makes the festival not only a cultural celebration but also a platform for learning and cultural exchange,” Turkistani said.
On the first day, parents, children and young people, especially those with an interest in Japanese culture through books and art, found the event engaging and educational.
Nasir Abdulrahman, 21, who dressed up as one of his favorite animated characters, told Arab News that he had been waiting for this event because he fell in love with Japanese animation as a child.
“It is fun and I am enjoying the live performance on stage, playing with my friends’ games and the spectacular samurai culture,” he said.
Japanese artists performing at the festival expressed joy at being in the Kingdom.
Azusa Wada, a Japanese idol and member of the NANIMONO musical group, told Arab News that she enjoyed sharing her country’s contemporary pop culture with local fans.
Wada was excited to learn more about Saudi Arabia’s “culture, tradition, food during my one-week stay here in Jeddah.”