The Cultural Affairs Agency announced Wednesday the major programs for the Japan Cultural Expo, or Nihonhaku, an arts and culture festival organized by the government that will coincide with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to the announcement, about 370 events including art exhibitions and stage performances will be held nationwide under the theme of "humanity and nature in Japan."
During a press conference held the same day in Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japanese actress Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, 86, was appointed as the expo's ambassador. Kuroyanagi said, "Japan has preserved its traditional culture and I will do my utmost to help young Japanese and foreign people appreciate it."
The expo's opening ceremony -- featuring traditional performances such as kabuki, noh plays and bunraku puppet plays, as well as gagaku court music -- will be staged on March 14 at the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward, Tokyo.
The expo will showcase various events as part of eight main programs including arts and cultural treasures as well as recovery of areas hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The government aims to promote the beauty of Japanese culture to people in Japan and abroad, and give foreign tourists opportunities to experience Japanese culture.
An exhibition of the Tsumugu Project: Promoting, Restoring and Preserving the Beauty of Japan's Art, organized by the agency, the Imperial Household Agency and The Yomiuri Shimbun, has been approved as one of the major events at the expo.
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