Review of the events carried out so far

Tokyo Millenario - The pre-promotion event for the "2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges" -

(c)Valerio Festi/I&F Inc. Tokyo Millenario

In December 2004, a new-festival "Tokyo Millenario" was held as a pre-promotion event for the "2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges". The theme of the "Paratura", a gallery made of lights, was "Le arti in Luce" ("The art in the light"), an illumination in the style of Japonism, which enchanted artists in Europe in the past.

Opening events of the "2005 EU-Japan" Year of People-to-People Exchanges"

- Opening event in Japan -

(c)European Community Deputy Cabinet Secretary Sugiura and Ambassador Zepter

On January17, a gala taiko concert was held in Tokyo as an opening event of the "EU-Japan Year." Following the opening remarks by Ambassador Bernhard ZEPTER, Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Japan, and by Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Seiken SUGIURA, the taiko teams from Europe and Japan performed together to launch this memorial year.

Performance of European youth team	Performance of Japanese youth team
Performance of the European professional team	Performance of the Japanese professional team

- Opening events in EU Member States -

On January19, in Luxembourg, the EU presidency in the first half of 2005, and on 21 January in Brussels (Belgium), the seat of the EU, the opening events by the "Za Ondekoza" (Taiko Group) and "Agatsuma Band" (Tsugaru shamisen) were held to inaugurate the "EU-Japan Year" in Europe. Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Itsunori ONODERA attended the event in Luxembourg. The hall was filled with about 600 people.

Performance of the "Za Ondekoza"

Performance of the "Agatsuma band"

"Opening with the Drumming"
- La Voix (Newspaper of Luxembourg) -

Opening events were held in other countries of Europe as well. On 12 January, in Barcelona (Spain), the performance of the "Agatsuma Band" was held before 2000 people. On 24 January in Czech Republic and on 27 January in Hungary, "Za Ondekoza" inaugurated the EU-Japan Year. In Czech Republic, the hall was filled with about 450 people and in Hungary with 700 people.

"Excellent!"
- BLESK (Newspaper of the Czech Republic) -

"The drumming by the "Za Ondekoza" is not just music. It is not just show.
It showed us that their performance is harmonization of various arts, sophisticated view of nature and an expression of life philosophy."
- Magyar Nemet (Newspaper of Hungary) -

Opening event in Barcelona (Spain): View of the hall with audience	Opening event in Hungary: View of the hall with audience
Opening event in the Czech Republic: View of the hall with audience	Charity performance of the "Za Ondekoza" at a children's house in Czech Republic

The opening events were also held in Slovakia on 13 January, in Lithuania on 24 and in Denmark on 26 on the same month. In Denmark, the hall was filled with about 410 people and Princess Elizabeth declared the opening of the event. The young people from Denmark and Japan performed drumming, demonstrated Judo and Karate and performed "Soran-bushi."

Scene from the opening event in Denmark

Scene from the opening event in Denmark

In Austria on February 1, in Italy on 8 and in the Netherlands on 11 of the same month, opening events were held at prominent places in each country. In Austria, a Taiko (Japanese Drum) Concert was held in MAK (Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst). In Italy, a concert by Ms. Sayaka Shoji (Violin) and Giorgia Tomassi (Piano) was held at the "Palazzo del Quilinale" in the presence of President Ciampi. In the Netherlands, "Japanese Evening", an event with a lecture, performance of Tsugaru shamisen and demonstration of tea ceremony, was held in the Van Gogh Museum.

Opening Event in Italy at the "Palazzo del Quirinale"	Opening Event in Italy Concert by Ms. Shoji and Ms. Tomassi
Opening Event in the Netherlands	Opening Event in Austria

In France on 15 February and in UK on 17 February, respectively "Nihon Buyo (Japanese traditional dance) Lecture and Demonstration" were held as opening events of the "EU-Japan Year."

Nihon Buyo Lecture and Demonstration

In Poland , performances of the "Miyazawa- Sick Band"(a Band composed of Japanese Band vocalist "Kazufumi MIYAZAWA" and musicians from Brazil, Argentina and Cuba) were held in Pzemysl (4 February) and in Wroclaw (6 February) as the opening event of the "EU-Japan Year." In Glasgow (Scotland, UK) on 18 February, Japanese Film festival marked the opening of the "EU-Japan Year."

Creative Tradition 2005

(c)The Japan-EU Friendship Performance Executive Committee Creative Tradition

The event composed of a concert of the Japanese traditional music (gagaku, bugaku and shyomyo), the work of Maki ISHII (composer) and an exhibition of Ukiyo-e reproduced by computer graphics, was carried out from Jan.9 to12 in Berlin (Germany). About 700 people were present at the concert and about 2000 people visited the exhibition.

"Between today and tomorrow - Japanese traditional music, contemporary music and dance in the World Culture House -"
- Tageszeitung (German Newspaper) -

Special Program of the Berlin International Film Festival "Abordage, Ikuzo!"

On 18 February, a screening of the movie "Abordage Ikuzo!", produced by Kansai Yamamoto (member of the "Committee for events in the EU" of the "Organizing Committee in Japan" for the "EU-Japan Year"), a live performance with "Ohtuzumi" (Japanese big hand drum) by Shonosuke Okura, dance and "Tezutsu Hanabi" (bamboo firework pipes) and Kimono photo session were held as a special program of the Berlin International Film Festival.

Bamboo firework pipes

Kimono photo session

"Study Tour of Japan for European Youth" to commemorate the "2005 EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges"

To commemorate the "EU-Japan Year", in February 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited 14 youths (undergraduates and graduate students) from 10 new member countries of the EU.

During their stay in Japan, European youths paid a courtesy visit on Diet Members of Japan, visited Japanese companies, an elementary school and the Ota Memorial Museum of Art *, held discussions with Japanese students and met European businessmen, to learn about Japanese politics, economy and culture.

Visit to elementary school

Discussion with students

* The museum has the collection of the "Ukiyo-e" (Japanese traditional wood-block printing art), which will be exhibited in the Musee Guimet in Paris in this summer as an event of the "EU-Japan Year."