The land of the rising sun comes alive at Japan Habba

Savouring authentic Japanese food while exploring education and job opportunities in the Nippon country, buying manga omnibuses, doing a crash course on origami, kirigami and calligraphy: all of these things were available under one roof at the Japan Habba on Sunday.

The 15th edition of the daylong festival brought to the fore the culture of a country and drew nearly 2,000 people to the JN Tata Auditorium at the Indian Institute of Science. Youngsters queued up to wear the traditional kimonos and waited patiently in rows to be part of high tea.

Akshara Iyer, a member of the festival committee, said the festival was aimed at exposing people to the Japanese culture while familiarising them with job and education opportunities in the island country.

“There are also events that showcase the beauty of cultural exchange where Japanese youth will sing Kannada songs while girls here will render famous Japanese numbers,” she said.

There was a huge demand for manga books. The omnibuses and compendiums sold like hot cakes.

“I have been learning Japanese for the past seven years. I just can’t put down a manga book and it’s so hard to choose here. All of them are some of the bestsellers and cost a bomb if bought here,” said Aparna N, a visitor.

The ikebana workshop in one of the seminar halls had people looking into various types of flower decoration styles demonstrated by perfectionists. Many stood in awe as origami and kirigami artists created magic from paper.

The Japanese Foundation held a free screening of Thermae Romae, the award-winning Japanese movie known for its exceptional oddities, followed by a haiku workshop.

Along with Japanese language schools, the leading universities of the country had set up stalls. Those who wanted to study in Japan had the opportunity to browse through the best programmes, some of which promised jobs.

Parents sat down with experts, asking them questions about the prospects of their children getting jobs in Japan.