Amin Abbas

Amin Abbas

ABU DHABI: The Embassy of Japan in Abu Dhabi hosted a reception on the occasion of the Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s 63rd birthday on Feb. 23.

At InterContinental Abu Dhabi, guests were invited on behalf of the Japanese Ambassador to the UAE, ISOMATA Akio to celebrate the occasion with traditional Japanese foods and performances.

The event was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Tolerance of the UAE and Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology in the UAE, President-Designate COP28 and Special Envoy for Climate Change.

The event involved Japanese companies setting up booths. Some companies included Charteraise, Yatsudoki, JNTO, Crown Melon, Yakult and Yoku Moku.

ISOMATA gave a speech at the beginning of the event, thanking guests for their attendance. He also hailed Japan and the UAE’s strong bilateral ties after celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries last year.

ISOMATA shared his condolences to the families victims of the devastating earthquake that hit both Syria and Turkey this month and wishing the safety of the people in both countries following this bad incident.

The organizations showcased their product offerings ranging from fruits and desserts to green tea and drinks.

Japanese taiko drummers from Kharsha band were just one of the performances of the night.

Guests at the reception got the opportunity for getting Japanese Calligraphy painting by Japanese calligrapher Juichi Yoshikawa.

Sushi was served by Japanese chefs with authentic ingredients like fish and rice imported fresh from Japan.

The Ikebana Ohara School was also present with their very own Japanese flower arrangement made with Matsu and palm tree to showcase the strong bilateral ties between Japan and the UAE.