From September 28 to 30, 2022, University of Tsukuba held Uzbekistan Culture Week 2022, an event to introduce Uzbek culture to the general public, as part of the Japan-Uzbekistan Academic and Culture Forum held jointly with the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Japan. This event was part of a project to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The opening ceremony was held at BiVi Tsukuba Exchange Salon on September 28 and was attended also by Uzbek government officials and university presidents who were attending the fourth Japan-Uzbekistan Rectors’ Conference held on the same day at the Epochal Tsukuba International Congress Center. During the event, Uzbek photos, traditional costumes, traditional textiles, embroidery pieces, bags, tableware, and more were exhibited at the event space in BiVi Tsukuba, attracting approximately 270 visitors over the three days. On September 30, the final day of the event, there were public lectures entitled “History and Culture of Uzbekistan – A bridge to the future” (Dr. SHIOYA Akifumi, University of Tsukuba) and “The chance of becoming self-sustaining of women using the traditional handicraft in rural area of Uzbekistan” (Dr. KAWABATA Yoshiko, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology) as well as a concert of traditional Uzbek music and dance and the first screening in Japan of an Uzbekistan film. The event introduced not only the history of Uzbekistan, which was greatly influenced by the culture of the Silk Road, but also what the country is like in modern day and its relationship with Japan, and participants enjoyed it through the very end.
More articles about the Japan-Uzbekistan Academic and Cultural Forum can be found here.
– The Japan-Uzbekistan Academic and Culture Forum 2022 (official website / Japanese)
– The Fourth Japan-Uzbekistan Rectors’ Conference (September 28, 2022)
– The Japan-Uzbekistan Student Forum (September 29, 2022)
