Thai Ambassador to Japan and Thai Consul-General to Osaka

attended the Japan-Thailand Cultural Fair in Kyoto

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On 17 October 2021, Ambassador Singtong Lapisatepun and Consul-General Krit Tankanarat attended the opening ceremony of the Japan-Thailand Cultural Fair  in Kyoto.     
Also present included Mr. Shigeyo Kimura, Chairman of the Japan-Thailand Educational Exchange Society, Mr. Hiroshi Sugaya, Chairman of the Kyoto Prefectural Assembly,             
Mr. Munehisa Ishida, Chairman of the Japan-Thailand Friendship Association of Kyoto Prefectural Assembly and approximately 100 friends of Thailand in Japan.

On this occasion, Ambassador Singtong and Consul-General Krit congratulated the   
Japan-Thailand Educational Exchange Society and its members for successfully hosting the event     
in this new normal era, highlighting Thai-Japanese cultural exchanges such as the Thai classical dance by Japanese performers and Japanese drum and flute performance by Thai students which helped showcase the cultural similarities and differences between the two countries.

During the seminar session on “Thai-Japanese relations from the eyes of the Ambassador”, Ambassador Singtong characterized 134 years of Thai-Japanese diplomatic relations as one of support and assistance, starting from the Tilapia fish which His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great received from His Majesty Emperor Emeritus Akihito, 
the then Crown Prince Akihito of Japan. Since then, Tilapia fish has been reproduced throughout Thailand and used as an economic commodity that created jobs and income to   
the country. Notwithstanding this, Thailand also shared the reproduction of Tilapia fish with  other countries in Africa. Another example would be during the Great East Japan Earthquake that Thailand assisted Japan in the humanitarian relief assistance and recovery. While the Thai and the Japanese people are said to possess some traits which are identical and some which are unique, there are room for these characteristics to merge and complement one other.

Japan-Thailand Cultural Fair in Kyoto is an annual event organized by the Japan-Thailand Educational Exchange Society since 2013 to promote the exchange of Thai and Japanese culture through various activities. The said event helped friends of Thailand in Japan and the Thai community in Kyoto lessen their state of missing Thailand in this time of COVID where travel is not as convenient as before.

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