Japanese Residents Enjoy the Indonesian Festival Day by Watching Wayang and Gamelan in Kofu

Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo held the Indonesian Festival at Yamanashi Gakuin University (YGU), Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture on Saturday (30/10/2021). The event, which was divided into three sessions, was held in a hybrid manner and was attended by more than 621 people, consisting of 380 Japanese who attended directly and 241 who attended via online.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Heri Akhmadi, in the event at the YGU Memorial Hall gave a public lecture entitled: "Indonesia and Japan Share a Shared Future". 

Japanese residents enjoy Gamelan during Indonesian Festival day in Kofu. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

"Indonesia-Japan relations complement each other in terms of economy, demography, natural resources, and technology. Indonesia wants to continue to cooperate with Japan in various fields including education," said Ambassador Heri, as quoted from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

YGU President, Koji Furuya, appreciated the organizing of the Indonesian Day by the embassy in Tokyo. "Thank you for this activity. I hope that there will be increased cooperation between Japan and Indonesia," said Koji Furuya together with the Mayor of Kofu, Yūichi Higuch,i who had the opportunity to attend this event.

Participants also attended a Gamelan workshop from the Semilir Group and a Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) performance by Ki Dalang Sumiyanto with the play of Bimo Cangkang.

The enthusiasm of Japanese citizens was seen when they tried to directly play the Gamelan instrument with the guidance of the Gamelan Semilir group players.

At the end of the event, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo gave omiyage (gifts) in the form of Indonesian food and spices to the participants.

During a visit to the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Ambassador Heri met with Deputy Governor of Yamanashi, Watanabe Kazuhiko, to further discuss the cooperation between sister Province Yamanashi and the Province of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in the fields of education and agriculture.

Ambassador Heri also met with winery entrepreneurs and deer skin processing companies to explore cooperation with Indonesian and Japanese MSMEs (Micro Small Medium Enterprises). Ambassador Heri explained that the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and representatives of Indonesian SOEs (State-owned enterprises) in Japan some time ago had formed an Indonesian MSME Center that was ready to cooperate with Japan.

On a separate occasion, before the Indonesian Festival, Ambassador Heri met with representatives of the Indonesian people in Kofu and its surroundings. Ambassador Heri invited the Indonesian people to be more active in promoting Indonesia in Japan.