For 28 years, Na Ra Japan Hub has brought a slice of Japan to Hyderabad through the Hyderabad Japan Festival. This year, a six-day exhibition and cultural programme, in collaboration with the Japanese Association of Hyderabad, was inaugurated on Saturday at the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), Hitec City. The event was inaugurated at CCRT by IT minister D.
Sridhar Babu and presided over by Takahashi Muneo, Consul General of Japan in Chennai on Saturday. The Consul General was impressed by the bonsai installations, especially the Indian and Australian plants on display. “According to the continental drift theory, Australia and India were once connected, so genealogically there is a link between the indigenous people of Australia and Indians.
Having spent time in Australia, I recognised some of these bonsai trees as common to both countries. So fascinating!” he exclaimed. In addition to workshops on sumi-e ink painting, origami and other cultural programmes, the festival also featured a Japanese tea ceremony.
Students from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), dressed in traditional kimonos, prepared matcha tea as part of the ceremony. The event also showcased intricate origami displays, including miniature figures of a Pokémon ball, Jedi Master Yoda, a Rubik’s cube, and more. Other highlights included an Ikigai ceremony and tempura tasting.
Na Ra Japan Hub is a non-profit organisation founded by Ram Bhadra and his wife, B. Naganath. The.