The Embassy of Japan participated in the 7th Riyadh International Children’s Day Festival from 20 to 22 November, 2014, which was hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information at King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh.
On the opening day, teachers from the Japanese School in Riyadh and seven students performed Japanese drum (Wadaiko) in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information for Cultural Affairs, Dr. Naser bin Saleh Al-Hujailan. H.E. Dr. Al-Hujailan enjoyed the performance and appreciated the contributions by the students of the Japanese School and the Embassy.
The Embassy also exhibited some traditional handicrafts from Toyone Village which has become a friendship partner of KSA since 2005 when EXPO 2005 was held in Aichi prefecture of Japan. The Embassy also arranged a Japanese calligraphy exhibition, and many visitors to the Festival experienced writing of their names in Japanese characters. They took photographs and took those pieces of work with them as gifts from the Japanese Embassy booth. This was aimed to spread Japanese language in Saudi Arabia in order to enhance bilateral relation between the two countries. In addition to that, there was a small exhibition of Japanese traditional clothes, books and Japanese Manga. Many visitors are attracted by these exhibitions.
As number of youth population increases, more attention is paid to child education and culture. The Embassy would like to encourage and support the collaborative relationship between Japan and Saudi Arabia in the fields of child education and culture.
It is worth mentioning that, 2015 marks 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relation between the two countries. Embassy of Japan will sponsor and organize events which meet criteria and are to be held from November 2014 to March 2016. This event was regarded as one of the commemorative events of this anniversary.