2018 Nikkan Koryu Matsuri in Tokyo: the Japan-Korea Exchange Festival

During the Nikkan Koryu Matsuri (日韓交流お祭り / Nikkan Koryu Matsuri), Japan and South Korea come together for an annual festival of cultural exchange and bilateral relationship building, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2018.

Also known as the Japan - Korea Exchange Festival, this two-day event in Tokyo is held simultaneously with the same event taking place in the South Korean capital of Seoul.  

The event fosters friendship building and mutual understanding between the two countries peoples, as we well spreads the word about the culture, history, products and current trends of each country to the broader public. “Cultural exchange,” “citizen exchange,” and “youth exchange,” are the pillars of purpose supporting this event.  

While “bilateral” might be also be considered a keyword in the broader context of this festival put together by the two nations, the Nikkan Koryu Matsuri in Tokyo features more in the way of Korea than it does Japan, at least in terms of the festival program.

The Nikkan Koryu Matsuri splits visitors’ attention between booths and stage performances.  

In terms of the former expect sales of Korean food (freshly made and processed), hands-on experiences with Korean crafts and arts (hanji -- traditional Korean paper, hanbok -- Korean dress), stall selling books on the peninsula, and displays of Korean history (armory, old calligraphy, ceremonial dress).  

On stage, the festival provides platforms for local artists and musician to those who operate on a more international scale. Expect dance troupes who’ve performed at marquee events like World Cup opening ceremonies, singers, classical performers, performance art and, of course, Kpop artists (and impressionists / cover bands).

Reflecting the popularity of Korean pop music on these shores, the highlight for many who attend the Japan - Korea Exchange Festival is the final act of the “Kpop Concert” which typically isn’t announced until the last minute. So, no word on who it might be, yet.

Nikkan Koryu Matsuri (日韓交流お祭り) traces its roots back to the “Korea-Japan Friendship Year” which in 2005 commemorated the 40th anniversary of the 1965 Treaty of Basic Relations between Japan and South Korea. In other words, the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Back then, the Nikkan Koryu Matsuri was only held in Seoul (the city having gone on to hold the event every year since), and despite of the well-meaning efforts, the Korea-Japan Friendship Year will perhaps be better remembered for disputes between the two countries over the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo in Korea, Takeshima in Japan) a cluster of tiny rocks poking out of the sea between the two countries.  

2005 also marks 100 years since the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula. 

Add to this a Prime Minister Koizumi who made annual visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, and it might be easy to see the background wasn’t the easiest for the early years of this relationship-building festival.

Tokyo eventually got involved with its staging of the Nikkan Koryu Matsuri in 2009.

The organizing executive committee of the event is chaired by leading members of the Japan-Korea Economic Association (JKE) and Mindan, the Korean Residents Union of Japan.

Nikkan Koryu Matsuri in Tokyo 2018

For information about other international, ethnic festivals and events across Japan:

International, ethnic festivals across Japan celebrate expat community

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Image: Republic of Korea Flickr License