A taste of Japan in Valletta

A Japanese Festival will be held at St James Cavalier between July 27-29 on the occasion of the 2005 Japan-EU Year of People to People Exchange.

At the heart of the festival are two major events: the First Japanese Film Festival in Malta, featuring world renowned directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Hiroyuki Tanaka and Kon Ichikawa; and 100 Years of Tokyo, a photography exhibition which bears witness to the history of Japan's capital city in a fascinating array of images from past and present.

Sushi, one of Japan's most famous and popular dishes, is one of the items on the menu during the festival. Professional chef Ishihara Toshikazu of Zen restaurant will be on hand to demonstrate how this artistic and healthy cuisine can be made in Malta using local ingredients.

A Japanese language laboratory will be held over two days, run by Japanese language teacher Haruka Nakamura who will be teaching some of the most mandatory phrases needed for basic Japanese conversations.

A number of other exhibitions, such as on Ikebana, Bonsai and Judo, will be held every day from 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Entrance to all events (including films) are free but pre-booking is advised for some events.

The festival is being organised by the Embassy of Japan in Rome in collaboration with the Honorary Consulate-General of Japan in Malta.