Festival sheds light on ancient culture, traditions

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Bogor's historical Hotel Salak The Heritage recently played host to the Bonenkai festival, which gave local residents the opportunity to learn more about Japan's culture and traditions.

"We organized this festival to inform Bogor residents about the fact Japanese people have managed to maintain their traditions even though they have become a developed nation in terms of technology," festival committee chairman Cindy Posumah told The Jakarta Post.

The hotel enlisted in the help of hundreds of students from the Bogor Hotel Institute to organize and run the festival.

The festival featured various Japanese traditional dances, including the bon odori dance. It also featured several traditional performances such as the taiko, as well as a Japanese martial arts display, a samurai costume display and a bazaar.

Senior managers at Hotel Salak were inspired to organize the festival due to the fact the Greater Jakarta area is home to several Japanese communities, including a manga (Japanese comic) community and a cosplay (Japanese costume party) community.

The head of the Bogor Tourism Agency, Nur Hadiyati, said the Japanese culture was among Asia's oldest cultures.

"We know the culture of the Japanese people has made Japan one of the most developed and prosperous nations in the world," she said.

Nur said even though the emphasis of the festival was more on traditional foods, Bogor residents still flocked to the event in their hundreds to learn more about Japan.

"From the culinary and art products exhibited today, it can be seen that Japanese people have been persistent and disciplined in creating their work, and that was the idea we wanted to inspire visitors with," she said.