Most Westerners have quite a general idea of what Japan and its traditions, culture and lifestyle are all about. Our perception of Japan, mostly captured from the media through anime, manga or even movies, is either eschewed or incomplete, leaving us at a loss to understand the deep historical meanings, loving craftsmanship and ever-evolving artistic endeavours nestling within the heart of Japanese culture.

A two-day event entitled ‘Celeb-rating Traditional Japanese Culture’, which took place on November 5 and 6 at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, had the aim of promoting dialogue as well as addressing the common challenges prevalent in the life of both Japanese and Maltese nationals.

A tea master re-enacting the tea ceremony.

During the past few years, commercial transactions between Malta and Japan have continued to increase. Last year, in fact, was the 50th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two countries. To mark the event an important commemoration took place at the Valletta Waterfront.

This year, as part of Spazju Kreattiv, the Embassy of Japan to Malta, the Japan Foundation and the Malta-Japan Association organised a four-part event to highlight the importance of continuing such relations.

The first part of the event featured a Japanese confectionery cooking demonstration by the well-known Kanou Shoujan. The craftsman lovingly and patiently showed the public how to create a Japanese Camellia flower (tsubaki) out of sugar and rice flour, while stressing the importance of primary materials when it comes to cooking.

Using tea kettle steam to shape and give life to this edible artwork, the chef told his audience how it takes at least 10 years to learn the basics of this art. Seeing this demonstration, I realised how steady and sure one’s hands should be for this type of minute work, not to mention the artists’ eye and judgment needed to transform simple food ingredients into a true work of art.

The second part of the event took us back to the Edo period in the 17th and 18th century when the Japanese warriors known as samurai evolved into the administrators and highest ranking social caste of the time. They became role models, endorsing culture and education. Part of their training included the Buke Sado – the samurai tea ceremony to discipline the mind.

Ohno’s agile hands seemed to dance over the strings as he jocosely talked to the audience

Tea masters from the Sekishu-Isa School presented a re-enactment of this tea ceremony, emphasising its importance in today’s world not only as a means of fostering feelings of respect, courtesy and friendships towards friends and guests, but also as a way of achieving harmony and peace in a society which has become too frenetic and fast-paced.

The tea ceremony was followed by a tasting session, where the audience could mingle and socialise while sipping Match green tea and tasting the delicious sweets made from anko or amo, a red bean paste made from adzuki beans filled with mochi (sticky rice) or chestnuts.

The evening closed with a concert of traditional Japanese music by renowned Tsugaru-Shamisen player, Keisho Ohno. The Tsugaru-Shamisen, a traditional Japanese three-stringed lute with a square body, is played using a large pick called a bachi. It originated from China and mostly developed in importance during the Edo period.

Ohno was truly a delight to behold, displaying deep feelings tempered by an astounding technique and a willingness to involve his audience, he played a myriad of styles in a relatively short time, combining soulful ballads with pulsing beats and traditional sounds with popular music. His agile hands seemed to dance over the strings as he jocosely talked to the audience.

Byron Baron, secretary general of the Malta-Japan Association, said the majority of the Maltese have an interest in Japan – Japanese culture (both tradi-tional and contemporary) and the interaction with Japanese people. In the nine years since the association started pro-moting these events in Malta, the response was great.

He said the association worked very closely with the Japanese Embassy in Rome in putting up these yearly events. This was also done with the support of the Japan Foundation, which always brought top artists and performers directly from Japan to our islands.

Mr Baron said such events had always been fully-booked and sometimes people had to be turned back due to limited seating. This was one of the main reasons why during the past two years we tried to organise events spanning over two or three days over the weekend.

He said that the aim of showcasing such artistic exhibitions was to share the passion for Japanese culture with the Maltese people. Getting in touch with seasoned professionals and experts of traditional arts was not easy, especially when they came from such distant countries as Japan.

Keisho Ohno playing traditional Japanese music.

He said there was a lot of international liaison and support that goes on in the set-up of such events. Additionally, the team-work required to achieve the level of excellence to satisfy the criteria of the visiting artists and the attendees was given a huge importance. He hoped to bring to Malta aspects of Japanese culture which have never been showcased before.

Speaking about Maltese traditional arts such as silver filigree and lace, Mr Baron said they were already popular among Japanese people. So far, the association did not have the opportunity to take up a team of Maltese artisans to Japan to showcase Maltese traditional culture, but it was definitely something it would like to do.

Last year, more than 15 programmes on Malta and Gozo were shown on Japanese TV

Promoting Malta and Maltese culture in Japan had always been given great importance, both at government and private level. The Malta Tourism Authority Office in Tokyo actively promotes Malta as a tourist destination on various media like brochures, trade fairs/expos and television in Japan.

Last year, there were more than 15 programmes about Malta and Gozo on Japanese TV, which had an enormous impact – an increase in incoming tourists and English language students from Japan.

Japanese artisans have travelled to Malta to learn various crafts like filigree and cooking, which then they introduced in Japan. Maltese glassware and wine are among various items being exported to Japan.

The Ambassador of Malta to Japan, André Spiteri, is also working hard to enhance relations between the two countries.