Take A Look At The Japanese Cambodia Kizuna Festival 2018!

Phnom Penh- Japan-Cambodia Kizuna Festival 2018, the combination of CJCC Festival and Japan Week Festival of Japan’s Embassy, Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC), and Japan Foundation Asia Center, was held from February 22-25, with an aim to introduce Japanese traditional and modern culture in Cambodia and to promote cultural exchange between the two nations under the theme “Beat of Japan”.

This year is announced as the 7th Japan-Cambodia Kizuna Festival and this event will mark the 65th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Cambodia. Kizuna Festival has been annually organized in Cambodia since 2012 to promote cultural exchange between the two countries.

In this special occasion, there were many interesting activities including as following:

BATIC-HOLIC Concert:

BATIC-HOLIC is a Japanese drum troupe which was formed in 2004 in Kyoto city, Japan and is gaining in popularity for its singing and playing of the Shinobue (Japanese flute) and Wadaiko (Japanese traditional percussion). They perform on average in excess of 100 concerts annually at schools and festivals in Japan and numerous foreign countries filling the stage with passion. This year, they had an amazing performance at CJCC with their combination of traditional and pop-rock music.

POPUP: Mini Concert:

POP-UP is a Japanese Girls’ Band which had an impressive performance in the noon of February 24^th, 2018 with many cheering stance from the participants at Kizuna Festival. After the concert, there is also a Q&A session to POPUP Band regarding their impression toward Cambodia, especially the culture.

Japanese and Cambodian Cultural Related Events (Ikebana, Origami & Calligraphy):

The same as the previous year, Kizuna also has the room for the cultural-related events such as the Ikebana, Origami and Calligraphy. There were a large crowd of people participated in these activities and it looks so interesting !

Worldship Orchestra Concert with Angkor Youth Orchestra:

This year’s Kizuna was also celebrated with the performance from the Worldship Orchestra. In addition, there is also a performance which the orchestra also performed along with the Angkor Youth Orchestra. There are also the labels for each instrument so that the participants can see and recognize their favorite one.

Exhibitions and Workshop:

In this special event, there are a variety of exhibitions including the souvenirs, jewelries, t-shirts, Japanese railway, water filter and space (Watching Cambodia from the Space).