DAVOS, Switzerland -- The state minister of culture and sports promoted the government-hosted Japan Cultural Expo (Nihonhaku) at the World Economic Forum annual meeting being held at the Swiss resort of Davos, where government and business leaders from all over the world have convened.
It is the first time this year that the government has promoted the nationwide arts and culture festival overseas. The expo coincides with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the government hopes to expand the number of foreign tourists to Japan.
At an event hosted by Reuters on Tuesday, Yoshitami Kameoka, state minister for education, culture, sports, science and technology, explained the long history and diversity of Japanese culture, which ranges from earthenware of the Jomon period (ca 10,000 B.C.-ca 300 B.C.), Buddhist statues, ukiyo-e, and traditional performing arts such as noh and kabuki, through to modern anime and manga.
Kameoka told a crowd of about 60 in English that the expo aims to convey Japan's unique culture and sensitivity nurtured by tradition, and concluded by saying that Japan welcomes foreigners with omotenashi hospitality.
The expo involves about 370 art exhibitions and stage performances held across the nation under the overall theme of "Humanity and Nature in Japan."
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