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Big crowd drawn to Japanese Day

Latrobe City’s Japanese Day, held on Sunday, was an overwhelming success with an attendance estimated at over 1,500.

By Latrobe Shire Council - 14th October 2004 - Back to News

Held at Kernot Hall, the venue was at various times packed to capacity, with people eager to experience many aspects of Japanese culture including food, arts, crafts and music.

In his welcome speech, Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Darrell White, said that Japanese day 2004 was a celebration of everyday features of Japanese culture and was organized as a direct result of the long, trusting and valued sister-city relationship with the City of Takasago.

"The day provided an ideal opportunity to see and appreciate the depth and variety of Japanese life. This vibrant, warm hearted and sincere culture can be so intriguing to Australians and the rest of the world," Cr White said.

Councillor White also welcomed five Japanese employees from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), a member company of the consortium which owns Loy Yang Power. Together with their families, the employees’ new home for the next three years will be Latrobe City.

"This will be an exciting time for them, learning about our local economy, visiting other parts of Australia while also playing an integral role within the wider community," Cr White said.

Latrobe City’s International Relations Officer, Yuki Poole, who headed the Japanese Day organising committee, was extremely pleased with the large numbers who attended.

"We wanted visitors to become really involved in Japanese activities. We organised a number of demonstrations and workshops in traditional Japanese arts and crafts. Local schools were involved as were a wide range of community organisations. Everyone joined in and had a great time," Ms Poole said.

"The Japanese drummers had the crowd mesmerized and the Latrobe City Youth Band once again performed to their usual high standard. Japanese calligraphy, origami and toy making were also very popular. The overall level of interest was most encouraging and next year’s Japanese day will be just as good, if not better," Ms Poole explained.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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