PRESS RELEASE N0: JPNEMPAK: 11-01

Islamabad: 13th January 2011

The Embassy of Japan, in cooperation with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association, Islamabad, and MEXT Alumni Association of Pakistan, has organized the Japanese Calendars Exhibition 2011 at the National Art Gallery from 13th January to 30th January, 2011. The exhibition was inaugurated on 13th January by Mr. Chihiro Atsumi, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, and Syed Ijlal Haider Zaidi, President of the Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association, Islamabad. The exhibition will remain open for the public from 14th January to 30th January, 2011 from 09:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The annual Japanese Calendars Exhibition is gaining popularity among the people of Pakistan. This year, around 140 calendars have been displayed in the exhibition with the cooperation of Japan Calendars Association. These calendars portray a variety of subjects such as contemporary and traditional art, gardens, scenery, costumes, people, art, photography, automobiles, wildlife, Ikebana, living styles and historical places, most of which are related to Japan. Since every calendar is a piece of art, the producing companies have tried their best to attract viewers through different subjects and mediums. The exhibition not only gives a picture of the socio- cultural development of Japan spread over centuries, but also exhibits the aesthetic features of Japanese printing technology.

A notable part of the this year’s exhibition is that, the Embassy also showcased intricate Japanese items like Japanese traditional Dolls, decorative wooden rackets Hagoita, and the new year ornaments of Kadomatsu at the entrance. The display of these items added more charm to the exhibition, catching the eye of every visitor. The whole exhibition presented a visual sense of Japanese artistic taste and skills to the visitors as well as a fresh look of new year images in Japan.

After the exhibition, all the calendars will be distributed to the lucky visitors through lottery. (End)