The annual Japan Festival at the University of Iceland will be held for the twentieth time at Veröld - House of Vigdís on Saturday, 27 January, from 1 to 5 pm. The festival is open to everyone and provides guests with the opportunity to get acquainted with Japanese culture. This year the festival includes various exhibitions, workshops, food corners, and informational booths. The highlight of this year's festival is an exhibition by the KROM Kendama group, showcasing their skills and tricks with the Japanese skill toy kendama.
Guests can also participate in a manga drawing workshop held in collaboration with Íslenska Myndasögusamfélagið and receive instruction in two popular board games, shogi and go, both of which have ancient origins. The Ambassador of Japan to Iceland, Ryotaro Suzuki, who is a keen shogi enthusiast, will oversee the instruction. Shogi is also known as "Japanese chess." The Icelandic Go Association invites guests and passersby to engage in go, a game with roots tracing back to East Asia and generally considered one of the oldest board games in the world.
