The Japan Cultural Festival was held at Mars Boys Hill Secondary School in Kamulu
Image: COURTESY
Before the Internet and social media took over the world, many children spent time outdoors playing games, and parents bonded with their children by teaching them life skills.
Some mothers taught their daughters how to knit, while boys accompanied their fathers to the mechanic.
In Japan, the skill of making origami was passed on to children by their parents and grandparents.
Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures. The practice is believed to help develop eye and hand co-ordination, memory and attention skills.
"I learnt how to make origami from my grandmother," Hiroyuki Futaki, an assistant at the Japan Information and Culture Centre in Nairobi, says.
Origami is one of the many Japanese skills and traditions that Futaki aims to teach Kenyan students through workshops and cultural days.
The Japanese Embassy in February partnered with five schools to hold the inaugural Japan Cultural Festival at Mars Boys Hill Secondary School in Kamulu.
The other participants were Mars Girls Hill Secondary School (Kahawa West), Margmary Hill High School (Juja), Corner Brook School (Juja) and Ngundu Township Secondary (Kamulu).
During the festival, students got to learn about several aspects of the Japanese culture, including origami, culinary delicacies (including sushi, tempura and bento) and the traditional calligraphy, known as shodo.
"It gives me great joy when I run into students and they remember me and what I taught them. I ran into a student I taught about a decade ago and I was humbled he remembered me and what I taught him," Futaki says.
He says Japan is keen on sharing cultural experiences in the counties, rather than only focusing its activities in Nairobi.
In addition to holding workshops for students, anyone interested in learning more about the culture is free to visit the Japanese Cultural Centre during weekdays.
Library membership is open to the public and once a member, one can borrow books to learn the language and aspects of the culture.
During the cultural day in Kamulu, students participated in language quizzes, made Japanese song and poem (Haiku) presentations, were taught how to make Samurai helmets (Kabuto) and how to use chopsticks.
Japanese language teacher Charles Kanyora was present to engage students and act as a judge during the competitions.
Winners were awarded certificates at the end of the festival.
The cultural day was funded by The Japan Foundation. One of its key focus points is supporting programmes which promote Japanese language education through grants.
Futaki says there are several study opportunities for Kenyans through Japanese government scholarships.
He says the cultural festival will be a regular activity.
Kenya and Japan enjoy a good relationship, with several projects ongoing between the two countries.
Kenya hosted Ticad6, the first-ever Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad) on African soil, in 2016.
Launched by Japan in 1993 to promote Africa’s development, Ticad has over the years grown into a major global and multilateral forum for mobilising and sustaining international support for Africa’s development under the principles of Africa ownership and international partnership.
Kenya and Japan have partnered in key economic sectors, including infrastructure, energy, water and agriculture.
According to the National Treasury, the cumulative Japanese assistance to Kenya stood at Sh512.7 billion as at August 2019.
In 2020, the year of the rat, according to the Japanese calendar, Futaki says he sees Japan-Kenya cooperation growing in years to come.
"We hope to expand our scope in teaching Japanese culture to more schools across Kenya," he says.