Japan Festival of Wellington

01 Jan 1970 to 01 Jan 1970

Event category: Festival

Venue: Wellington Town Hall Auditorium and Ilott Theatre

Bring all the family to enjoy a spectacular celebration of Japanese culture - fabulous food stalls, crafts and non-stop entertainment - including taiko drumming, Clown Loto!!, Japanese puppeteers Darumamori and Eriko, leading Japanese classical musicians, and a Japanese hip-hop group over from Sydney.

Relax in the tranquil ambience of the age-old Japanese tea ceremony, learn how to roll delicious sushi, or try your hand at writing a haiku poem.

Or if you feel confident in your Japanese language skills, you can wander next door to the Ilott Theatre where a Japanese language competition will take place. As part of the Music Fair of Japan, in the Ilott Theatre there will be a free concert at 7pm showcasing four classical musicians from Japan (please note - seating capacity is limited).

Note: Tickets for the concert are complimentary, but need to be pre-booked. Bookings open at 9am on Wednesday 24 June. For enquiries or further information, please contact the Embassy of Japan on (04) 495 8333 or email: japan.cul@eoj.org.nz

The Japan Festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Japan Society of Wellington and the 15th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Wellington and Sakai. It is organised by Wellington City Council with support from the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Embassy of Japan.

Other activities around the Japan Festival are the return of the Music Fair of Japan, with classical concerts on Friday 10 July as well as on the Saturday of the festival and the Friend to Friend exhibition in the foyer of the Wellington Convention Centre, running from 9am to 5pm, from 6 to 11 July.

Visiting puppeteers Darumamori and Eriko will conduct a workshop followed by a performance on 15 July.