A habba to experience, savour the culture of Japan

Japan Habba 2018, an Indo-Japan festival to showcase Japanese culture, will be held on Saturday.

The 14th edition of the festival is intended to promote Indo-Japan bilateral ties. The festival will also focus on creating opportunities for people to experience Japanese culture, language and their food.

Organised by the Japan Habba Trust, the event attracted over 3,000 visitors last year.

"Around 70% of the people who came for the events we conducted earlier in Bengaluru were non-Japanese," said Takayuki Kitagawa, Consul General of Japan, Bengaluru.

He added that the event was first held 14 years ago with a small gathering, and has now turned into a festival.

"We expect at least 4,000 people to participate this year. The festival will also have people of the state performing," he said.

This year's habba, which is being hosted at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), will feature world-renowned Shamisen artiste Yoshiyuki Kasai and his disciple Hiroto Aizawa. Shamisen is a three-stringed instrument.

"There are around 900 Japanese businessmen and 150 Japanese companies in the city. The Japanese companies also intend to recruit students from IISc," said Akinori Urakawa, chairman, Japanese Association.