Japan's Mikoshi Meets Ondel-Ondel, Ennichi's Djakarta Festival Ready To Enliven Old Town September 6-7

JAKARTA Jakarta will again hold a large-scale Japanese cultural festival titled Connext Japan Djakarta Ennichi on September 6, 2025. This event will be centered in the historic area of Batavia, Kota Tua, West Jakarta.

The choice of a location at the heart of Jakarta's history is considered symbolic, as a common ground between the city roots and the long traces of Japanese culture in the country.

DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung positively welcomed the presence of this festival as part of the transformation of Jakarta into a world-class cultural city.

"Jakarta is a global city and a cultural city. We encourage strengthening international cultural cooperation, including with Japan," Pramono said in Jakarta, Thursday (7/8/2025).

Chairman of Djakarta Ennichi, Hardiyanto Kenneth, stated that this festival is not just a celebration of Japanese culture, but a tangible form of a strategic partnership between the two nations, involving the government, community, artists, and the public at large.

"This is not just a festival, but a collaboration room. We want Djakarta Ennichi to be an inspiring cross-cultural liaison," said Kenneth, who is also a member of the DKI Jakarta DPRD.

Connext Japan Djakarta Ennichi is a continuation of Ennichisai's spirit, a Japanese cultural festival that had become an icon in the Blok M area from 2010 to 2019.

Now, this spirit has been revived by the Indonesian Japanese Cultural Association (ABJI), along with cultural practitioners such as Edo (Duta Yosakoi Kochi), Pepen (Duta Taiko Okinawa), and Zhuge (Indonesian cosplay practice).

The festival also received support from the Chairman of the Japan Ennichisai Committee, Daisei Takeya. This year's theme, Shinshmen: Babak Baru, was chosen as a sign of the revival of the memories of the Japanese cultural festival that had been loved by Jakarta residents.

This event is open to the public and can be attended for free.

Visitors can enjoy various cultural booths from Japanese prefectures, the Japanese-Indonesian culinary bazaar, community creative product exhibitions, traditional and modern art performances from both countries, as well as a collaborative cultural parade, namely Japan's Mokishi with Ondel-Ondel Jakarta.