Jardin Japonais in Monaco - photo © RIVIERA BUZZ

Arts Festival

Monaco Celebrates Two Decades of Relations with Japan this March

RIVIERA BUZZ11 March, 20261 Mins read235

The Principality of Monaco is holding a day of official celebrations this March to mark 20 years of diplomatic relations with Japan.

Several events are being organized in Monaco and in Tokyo to celebrate the ties between the two countries. On Saturday, March 21st, the Grimaldi Forum and the Jardin Japonais will host events on the theme “Japan in Monaco.”

This cultural and artistic event will showcase traditional Japanese arts, cultural exchange, and contemporary creation, within the symbolic setting of Monaco’s Japanese Garden.

^{Courtesy Gouvernement Monaco}

Organised by the Embassy of Monaco in Japan, Embassy of Japan in Monaco, and the Association Monaco Friends of Japan, the programme for the day is as follows:

10:00 am: Opening of the Japanese handicrafts exhibition
11:00 am: Official ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum featuring a Japanese drum demonstration (倭魂WAKO Rising Sun) and dance performance by Mimoza Koike of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
12:00 pm: Washi-Sakura workshop – creation of mini bonsai with washi paper (registration required)
2:30 pm: Japanese drum demonstration featuring 倭魂WAKO Rising Sun once again
3:30 pm: Washi-Sakura workshop (registration required)
5:00 pm: Closing

^{Video via 和太鼓集団倭魂WAKO〜Rising Sun〜 on YouTube}

Throughout the day, the Jardin Japonais will host exhibitions of traditional Japanese crafts, with examples of Bizen-yaki (Traditional Bizen Pottery), Kyōraku Kōgei (Traditional Kyoto Crafts) and other Japanese craft disciplines.

Admission to the event is free with the exception of the Washi-Sakura workshop, for which a fee and registration are required.