10 February 2020, Friday – Bandar Seri Begawan – The Japanese Language and Culture Festival 2020 ended last night at the Atrium, Times Square Shopping Centre.

The two-day festival was organized by the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam and the Japan Foundation, and co-organized by Times Square Shopping Centre. Visitors were able to experience the diverse elements of the Japanese culture in a single venue. Solely held to promote the Japanese culture, the festival included several key events, games and activities, and a diverse range of exhibitors bringing in contemporary and traditional Japan to the heart of Brunei.

The event was supported by the Japanese Association Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Association of Japan Alumni (BAJA), BERSATU (SSEAYP Alumni), BJFA-UBD Chapters, BJFA-UTB Chapters; JENESYS Alumni and IBTE CET. Exhibitors taking part were Otaku Corner, Komugi Japanese Bakery, MC Biotech Sdn Bhd and Standard Chartered Bank. Among the highlights of the festival was a showcase by YAMANAKA Traditional Band comprising of musicians playing the traditional Japanese drum (Wadaiko), bamboo flute (shinobue) and Tsugaru shamisen where they performed “MUSASHI: Music From The East”. There was also a Japanese tea ceremony workshop being held yesterday at the lobby. Moreover, cooking demonstrations by the Ambassador’s chef also took place during the two day festival.

For the anime drawing competition, first prize winner was Ak Muhammad Aqil Hannan bin Pg Kamarudin whose pen name is Oxlotelle, while Mohd Rodiman bin Haji Roslanie and Johan bin Johari were the second and third place winners respectively. Prizes were presented by Ms Maznah Badarudin, the Marketing Manager of Times Square Shopping Centre . Quizzes were also held where the general public won prizes for giving the correct answers.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Top 3 winners of Anime Competition

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese Language and Culture Festival 2020

Japanese Language and Culture Festival 2020