Taiwan, Japan celebrate friendship in cultural festival

Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) Hundreds of Taiwanese on Saturday flooded a Japanese cultural festival, organized to celebrate ties between the two countries and to thank Taiwan for its humanitarian aid after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 2011. Curious event goers surrounded artists performing traditional Japanese arts, including origami, tea ceremonies and stone arts, saying they were amazed by the country's cultural richness. "I realized Japan is more than a destination for gourmet food," said Ring Hung, 16, taking 30 minutes to create her own pony origami artwork. Japanese performers, meanwhile, said they were glad to take the opportunity to interact with Taiwanese people and thanked them in person for their support after the magnitude 9.0 quake devastated northeastern Japan, killing thousands of people. "Taiwanese people are polite and quiet. I like them and would very much like to come back again," said Hitomi Shimono, an instructor at Japan Deco Sushi Association. During the instructors' sushi-making demonstration, sushi in the shapes of flowers, animals and even Mount Fuji-- the highest peak in Japan -- were skillfully made, leading the audience to burst out in cheers from time to time. The Nov. 16-17 event at Huashan 1914 Creative Park is held by the NHK Culture Center, with some 27 groups comprising a total 180 performers presenting aspects of Japanese culture. (By Lee Hsin-Yin) ENDITEM/cs

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