On September 7, the two-day China Festival 2024 kicked off at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, Japan.

The event was co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Japan and the China Festival 2024 Executive Committee. Approximately 150 booths have been set up for attendees to taste a variety of Chinese delicacies and enjoy erhu performances, acrobatic shows and popular animations. Additionally, visitors can explore products featuring “intelligent manufacturing in China”, such as new energy vehicles and smartphones, experiencing China’s vibrant economic growth.

Yasuo Fukuda, former Japanese Prime Minister and top advisor of the China Festival 2024 Executive Committee, noted in his speech at the opening ceremony that this year’s China Festival was joined by exhibitors from Shandong, Hunan, Qinghai and other Chinese provinces to fully demonstrate the charm of Chinese local culture. He highlighted China’s rapid development and expressed hope that more Japanese people would visit China and experience the country’s latest development for themselves. He looked forward to seeing mutual efforts in promoting people-to-people friendship through enhanced personnel exchanges.

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao stated in his speech that this year’s event is of unprecedented scale, aiming to fully display the excellent traditional Chinese culture and the achievements of Chinese modernization, so that attendees can learn about contemporary China through close experience. It is hoped that the China Festival could serve as a bridge to encourage more Japanese people to visit the country and experience the real and vivid China.

Tokyo resident Junko Toya has taken her daughter on about 20 trips to China. At this year’s event, she tasted steamed dumplings and experienced Chinese ink painting. “It has been a while since I last visited China, and participating in this festival made me miss China very much. My daughter said that the food she tasted today reminded her of the Chinese flavors from her childhood memories.” she said.

Shiga Prefecture in Japan and Hunan Province in China have maintained a friendly relationship for many years. Ogino Dai, Head of the International Affairs Division of the Shiga Prefectural Government, tasted Hunan specialties and Anhua dark tea at the China Festival. He expressed his willingness to share the charm of China with more Japanese people.