Ambassador of Japan: Like Iranians, we are hospitable and complimentary

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The variety of cultural cooperation between the two countries, including the latest Kiarostami film + film

The ambassador of Japan in Iran said: We have had a joint movie production with Iran. As an example, one of the last films of Kiarostami, the late great cinema director, was filmed in Japan and a Japanese film crew also collaborated with him.

Kazutoshi Aikawa said in an interview with IRNA’s cultural reporter about the cultural similarities between the two countries: I think the “culture” that has been formed over time has been very effective in creating work ethics among the Japanese people.
Emphasizing that the Japanese are known for hard work, and I think this is related to the culture, he said: We always cooperate with the people around us to build something and work as a team. This is one of the important cultural factors that have contributed to the economic development of Japan.
The ambassador of Japan in Iran answered the question, considering the cultural similarities of the two countries, which issue do you consider the most similar in Iranians and Japanese? He said: In Farsi, you call this phenomenon “Taarif”. We also have the same kind of humility in dealing with the people around us. We associate personal relationships with expressing humility, and I think this feature (between the two cultures of Iran and Japan) is very similar. Iranians are also famous for their hospitality. When a foreigner comes to their country, the Japanese treat him with hospitality. These two issues (between Iranians and Japanese) are very similar.
We always collaborate with people around us to build something and work as a team. This is one of the important cultural factors that have contributed to the economic development of Japan.
Kazutoshi added: All types of art have helped to create pluralism in our daily life, and the use of all types of art in the daily life of Japanese people has been effective in creating our national character. For example, we have a tradition of serving green tea. For the Japanese, the tea ceremony is a kind of art, and in this way, the Japanese appreciate the beauty of life and nature. Therefore, art has helped to create our personality.

The ambassador of Japan in Tehran also stated that Japanese clothes play an important role in Japanese culture and said: We have different types of clothes like Iran. Most of the clothes that we have displayed in this exhibition (Japanese Cultural Month in Iran) are completely made of natural materials and no chemical or synthetic materials are used in them. Therefore, through clothes, we live in more harmony with the nature around us, and this is the main theme of this exhibition.
Kazutoshi said about joint cultural cooperation: We have joint painting exhibitions and joint film production. For example, one of the last films of Kiarostami, the late great cinema director, was filmed in Japan and a Japanese film crew also collaborated with him.

We have joint painting exhibitions and we have also had a joint film production. For example, one of Kiarostami’s last films was filmed in Japan.

At the same time, the Japanese ambassador in Tehran said: (For the future) we hope to introduce more people from the young generation of Iran to Japanese culture, especially to Japanese popular culture (pop culture). “Manga and anime” are among the very popular folk arts in contemporary Japan that we can introduce. Therefore, I hope to introduce the world of manga and anime in Japan to the young generation of Iran through the exhibition and other means.

He added: As you know, in recent years, due to the Corona epidemic, many Japanese people have not been able to travel, but considering that it seems that we are nearing the end of the epidemic, I hope that more Japanese people will be able to come to Iran and enjoy the beauty of nature and Use Iran’s cultural heritage. With the improvement of the situation of the Covid epidemic, the Japanese government welcomes Japanese people to travel abroad and of course to Iran.

Kazutoshi also said about the participation of the Iranian and Japanese national football teams in the World Cup: First of all, we wish success to both teams. Fortunately, we are in two different groups, and if we leave the field with a victory, we will not face each other in the elimination stage and the quarter-finals, and we will advance to the final stage. So, we wish both teams the best of luck.