BENGALURU: Wagashi (Japanese sweets), Shikki (Japanese lacquerware), Manga...these are just some of the topics that are being touched upon at a cultural exchange programme, ‘Window Into Japan’, organised by the Japan Foundation, New Delhi. “Our mission is to enrich people in India’s understanding of Japanese culture and society. An introduction to the country starts from its history, people and culture; one needs to know the country’s values, customs and etiquette.
The topics were decided so that people absorb and get immersed into culture,” says Aoi Ishimaru, director of Arts and Cultural Exchange, Japan Foundation. In addition, other areas like Japanese cuisine, Sake, Kabuki, Mizuhiki, Zen culture, Kimono, Kyogen, will be explored during the 10 sessions that will be conducted till October 16. Almost all of their projects have been online since last year due to the pandemic and have been creating projects by trial and error.
“We wondered if we could create a more attractive online program, which led to the launch of this course. It is designed to give the people of India a better understanding of Japan and its culture through lectures conducted by Japanese professionals, even though it’s online. We have a Japanese language course but a culture-focused one is a first-ever attempt,” says Ishimaru.
The sessions are being conducted by Japanese professionals, who will show hands-on live demonstrations about the topics. “Most of the participants are young. We are happy that the young in India have an interest toward Japan,” she says, adding, “The number of participants is huge; we’re handling all of them via email, and also making sure they all have Zoom links. Queries have to be answered in time, else it creates anxiety among participants. We are trying our best.”
A certificate of participation for the course will be given once the course is completed. “I don’t think other cultural organisations had done it before in India. We are overwhelmed by the response for this course. We realise a lot of people in India want to know about Japan and its culture,” she says. While nearly 860 participants have enrolled for the course, the remaining 140 seats are available for one-time participants on a first-come-first served basis. For more details, log onto https:// www.jfindia.org.in/