Three weeks ago my family and I went on a trip to Japan. While touring Osaka, on our way to Osaka Castle, we stopped by a shrine. Inside we were greeted by Masaaki Ishisaki, whom, we later found out, is the president of The Culture Centre of Beautiful Japan.

He explained that recent generations have put aside certain aspects of Japanese culture and customs, as they make room for modern franchise products, and are neglecting the values which have shaped Japan for almost 2,000 years.

I am glad to note that during our stay we saw a fair number of adolescents and families wearing the yukata (a robe used for summer festivals and special occasions) but most people were wearing western clothes.

Later, while I was reading Certain Instances into Japanese Culture, a book written by Mr Ishisaki, I could not help drawing parallels between the Japanese attitude to tradition, and the reaction of the Maltese to our culture.

In Malta many customs and traditions have died out because of several factors such as globalisation. Today no one is seen wearing the traditional għonnella or Maltese lace collars, as these have been replaced by contemporary clothing. However, we still have a rich heritage which we should be proud of and strive to protect, preserve and improve, keeping what’s left of our unique identity that distinguishes us from the rest of the world.

I feel our greatest endowment is our language, which has been forged through centuries of foreign domination. So why do we still hear native Maltese saying they prefer English because Maltese sounds so vulgar or because English is more important and they have little use for Maltese?

Code-switching has also become more commonplace; I am, however, pleased to see instructors who are trying to rid the young generations of code-switching as much as possible.

We should be proud of our language and traditions, and strive wherever possible to protect and promote them, while maintaining our status as a bilingual country.