Ohood Alzunaydi

RIYADH: Japan’s Embassy in Saudi Arabia hosted a two-day Japan festival on March 16-17, inviting attendees to participate in a number of Japanese activities.

On March 17, a Japanese public speaking competition was held for beginner and advanced levels of non-Japanese speakers among Saudi participants.

Japan Ambassador IWAI Fumio evaluated the participants’ speeches and asked them some questions to test their degree of proficiency in the language.

At the end of the competition, he honoured the three winners. He posted to his Twitter, saying: “Within the program of the Japanese Festival, the Japanese Speech Contest was held, and I was one of the judges. The performance of the contestants was a pleasant surprise to me and I was amazed by their level of mastery of our Japanese language and their learning style. I wish all friends who are interested in studying Japanese all the best and success.”

من ضمن برنامج المهرجان الياباني أقيمت مسابقة الخطاب الياباني وكنت من فريق الحكام. لقد شكل أداء المتسابقين مفاجأة سارة لي وأدهشني مستوى إتقانهم للغتنا اليابانية وأسلوبهم في تعلمها. أتمنى لجميع الأصدقاء المهتمين بدراسة اللغة اليابانية كل التوفيق والنجاح 🥰🥰🥰 pic.twitter.com/z1QyhbhDoe

— Iwai Fumio🇯🇵 (@FumioIwai) March 20, 2023

Many Saudis and non-Saudis attended the festival to learn about Japanese culture.

Some visitors already had an interest in Japan’s culture, while others visited to learn more about the country.

Kiosks at the festivals hosted activities such as Japanese calligraphy.

Japanese companies in Riyadh also participated, introducing their work to those interested.