Japanese dolls, Ukiyo-e Arts to promote annual Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange

An interior of the Japanese Bridge in Hội An. Japanese and Vietnamese experts together restored the 400 year old bridge. VNS Photo Công Thành

HỘI AN — Exhibitions of Japanese dolls and Ukiyo-e Arts (Japanese woodblock prints and paintings from the 17th through 19th centuries) will introduce the opening ceremony of the annual 20th Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange in the ancient town on July 26-August 4.

A 29-doll collection will be on display at the Japanese Culture Centre at 6 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai street from 5pm on July 26, while a 'Dialogue with Ukiyo-e Arts' event will be open, free admission, at 39 Nguyễn Thái Học Street on the same day.

A Japanese doll, one of nearly 30 on display at the annual Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange in Hội An City from July 26 to August 4. Photo courtesy of Hội An City's Information and Culture Centre

Japanese dolls reflect Japanese cultural practices, aspirations and beliefs accumulated over centuries, while Vietnamese artists will create Ukiyo-e Arts, with Vietnamese traditional material of Dó, or poonah paper, silk and lacquer.

Visitors can also experience Japanese tea making,origami (paper folding) and traditional Japanese exhibits at the centre.

An actor and actress reenact the 17th-century wedding procession held for Princess Ngọc Hoa and Japanese businessman Araki Sotaro in the annual Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange. Photo courtesy of Hội An City's Information and Culture Centre

A series of events will be held following the opening ceremony of the Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange on the Hoài River throughout the day and into the evenings from July 26 to August 4.

A model of Red Seal ship (Shuinsen) displayed in Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street. The ship was donated by Nagasaki City to Hội An town to boost friendship ties between the two. VNS Photo Công Thành

The doll exhibition will have both traditional and more modern figures made in Japan, including wooden Kokeshi dolls.

During the events the Japanese Bridge restoration project will be unveiled on August 3, following a year long preservation exercise carried out by experts from both countries.

A space in the Japanese Culture Centre on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street in Hội An City. Photo courtesy of Hội An City's Information and Sports Centre

Every year the Old Quarter hosts the reenactment of the 17th-century wedding procession held for Princess Ngọc Hoa and Japanese businessman Araki Sotaro on August 2–4 marking the relationship between the Japanese community and Hội An, 400 years after Japanese traders settled in the busy port town.

Local people in Hội An still preserve three tombs of Japanese traders who died in Hội An in the 17th century in Cẩm Châu Commune.

Experts from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) partnered with Hội An in building a waste treatment plant and restoring old Japanese style houses, along with working on the Japanese Bridge.

Hội An and Naha city, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, also cooperated in the Eco-city Achievement Support Project.