The International Caravanserai of Culture named after Ikuo Hirayama, the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan, the Embassy of Japan in Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistan-Japan Center, and the Community for the Study of the Japanese Tea Ceremony operating in Tashkent, hosted the traditional Japanese dance festival – Bon-Odori.
The event featured an exhibition of traditional Japanese furoshiki scarves, competitions in origami, a Kendama game, a tea ceremony, and master classes in calligraphy and wearing a light summer yukata kimono.
Bon-Odori is a traditional Japanese dance that is performed on holidays and symbolizes gratitude to the ancestors. The dance is performed around a wooden structure – the Yagura Tower, which was specially erected for this holiday.
The Yagura Tower serves as a stage for musicians and singers. Participants can move around the tower in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The direction may change in some dances, although it is usually constant.
Individual dances, such as Ohara Bushi and Awa Odori, are performed as a procession through the city.
Gulnoza Boboyeva, UzA