The Minister of Culture, Mariàngela Vilallonga, met today with representatives of the Casal Català of Tokyo (association of Catalan residents in Tokyo), with whom she discussed concerns and proposals for future collaborations. The meeting served as an opportunity to consider ways to improve information sharing and strengthen support for the activities of the Catalan community in Japan, such as the celebration of the Sant Jordi (St. George) holiday and organisation of Catalan courses.
Minister Vilallonga arrived in Tokyo today, accompanied by the Secretary General of Culture, Francesc Vilaró, to participate in Catalan cultural events taking place this week in the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Himeji. The events and activities are part of a series of actions supported by the Catalan government with the aim of raising the international profile of Catalan culture.
On her first day in the Japanese capital, Vilallonga attended a performance of Puccini’s opera Turandot at the New National Theatre in Tokyo, one of a series of concerts that the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra (OBC) is offering in Japan as a guest orchestra at the Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad and an international ambassador for the art and music of Catalonia.
Tomorrow, the minister will attend a series of meetings, including one at Hosei University with Raquel Vila, professor of Catalan Culture and Language, and Naomi Sasaki, the academic head of the programme; another with Kikuro Tani, president of the Japanese Association for Friendship with Catalonia and winner of the Creu de Sant Jordi (St George’s Cross) in 2016; and one with Prof Ichiya Nakamura, director of the Contents Innovation Program.
Other events on the minister’s schedule for this week include a symphony concert that the OBC will perform at Bunkamura Orchard Hall, a visit to an exhibition entitled Barcelona: City of Artistic Miracles in the city of Himeji, and visits to the National Art Center in Tokyo and the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless.