The National Cultural Festival is the largest cultural festival in Japan, which aims to present performances by individuals and groups throughout Japan who enjoy and are skilled at various cultural activities.
Since 1986 the Festival has been hosted annually by one of the Japan’s prefectures on a rotating basis.
The 26th National Cultural Festival, in which many cultures and people are participating from all over the country, is set in Kyoto Prefecture in fall 2011.
Various events ranging from art and culture including music, dance, theatrical performance, and literary arts to traditional culture and daily culture, and furthermore, the distinctive culture of the hosting prefecture will be presented throughout the festival, which will attract many participants and visitors from Japan and abroad.
About 70 cultural events are planned throughout Kyoto Prefecture.
Period
Saturday, October 29 – Sunday, November 6, 2011 (9 days)
Hosting locations
All municipalities located in Kyoto Prefecture
Slogan
Cultural inspiration – National Cultural Festival in Kyoto 2011
Theme
Ready your mind for a cultural awakening
Hosted by
The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education, hosting municipalities, hosting municipality’s boards (associations) of education, the Prefectural Executive Committee of the 26th National Cultural Festival, the Municipal Executive Committee of the 26th National Cultural Festival
Featuring
- Literary – tanka poem, haiku poem, senryu poem, etc.
- Music – brass band music, folk music, choral music, orchestral music, marching band music, chamber music, etc.
- Theatrical performances – contemporary drama, puppet shows, etc.
- Arts – western painting, Japanese painting, sculpture, pottery, crafts, calligraphy, photography, etc.
- Dance – classical ballet, modern ballet, jazz dance, etc.
- Traditional culture – shigin (recitation) with sword and poetry dance, Japanese music, folk music, folk dance, folk performing art, noh drama, classical Japanese dance, etc.
- Daily culture – tea ceremony, flower arrangement, kodo (art of appreciating incense), shogi (Japanese chess), igo (board game), etc.
The festival also features cultural arts ranging from highly artistic ones to those close to daily life, traditional ones cultivated in history and regional ones such as food culture, film, manga, fashion, etc.
