Japan Booth at Brussels Holiday Fair

From February 1 – 4, the annual Brussels Holiday Fair (Salon des Vacances) was held at Brussels Expo. While Ambassador Hayashi took part in the official opening held on the first day, the Embassy of Japan cooperated with the Paris office of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) at the Japan booth, where a demonstration with Paro the therapeutic baby seal robot received an enthusiastic response from the visitors. There were many other activities including shamisen performance, kimono wearing experience, demonstrations of wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) and calligraphy, as well as sake tastings, attracting many visitors to the Japan booth.