MOSCOW: The annual J-Fest Japanese cultural festival opened in Russia on Saturday, featuring events to practice martial arts and experience manga drawing and Japanese musical instruments.

The opening ceremony for the festival, the 13th of its kind, took place at the Japanese garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ botanical garden in Moscow.

With the opening day designated as “photo day,” Russians in Japanese clothes were seen taking pictures at the Japanese garden.

A 35-year-old Muscovite said she participated in J-Fest because of her love for Japan. She said she has long been interested in Japanese culture and that she is taking lessons in Japanese dances.

J-Fest is hosted mainly by the Japanese Embassy in Moscow. Last year’s festival was limited to online events because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s festival, set to run until Nov. 6, includes offline events with coronavirus safety measures in place.

JIJI Press