Japanese Residents In Yamanashi Enthusiastically Watch Puppets And Gamelan

Shadow puppet show and gamelan playing at the Memorial Hall of Yamanashi Gakuin University (YGU), Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Around 600 Japanese residents in Yamanashi Prefecture are enthusiastic about watching wayang kulit (puppet) performances and gamelan at the Indonesian Festival organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo.

The festival was held at the Memorial Hall of Yamanashi Gakuin University (YGU), Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Saturday, October 30, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo received in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Sunday, October 31.

Festival participants were able to watch a wayang kulit performance by Ki Dalang Sumiyanto with the play Bimo Cangkang and attend gamelan workshops from the Semilir Group.

The enthusiasm of Japanese citizens was seen when they had the opportunity to try playing gamelan instruments directly with the guidance of players from the Gamelan Semilir group.

The event which was divided into three sessions was attended by more than 621 people, consisting of 380 Japanese who attended in person and 241 people who attended online.

Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Heri Akhmadi in the event gave a public lecture entitled "Indonesia and Japan Share a Shared Future".

"Indonesia-Japan relations are complementary in terms of economy, demography, natural resources to technology. Indonesia wants to continue to strengthen cooperation with Japan in various fields including education," Ambassador Heri said.

YGU President Koji Furuya appreciated the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo.

"Thank you very much for this activity. I hope that in the future there will be more cooperation between Japan and Indonesia," said Koji Furuya with Kofu Mayor Yuichi Higuchi who was present at the event.

At the end of the event, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo gave gifts in the form of instant Indonesian food and spices to the participants.