Sri Lanka Festival in Tokyo attracts over 100,000

TOKYO: Over 100,000 visitors, mainly Japanese, visited the fourth annual Sri Lanka Festival at Tokyo's Yoyogi Park on May 26. It was inaugurated with the lighting of the oil lamp by Akie Abe, wife of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Abe attended the Sri Lanka Festival as the chief guest on the invitation of Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Japan Ranjith Uyangoda. The Festival was held in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park on May 26-27 under the theme 'Experience nature's best'.

The Festival projected the total image of Sri Lanka, projecting the country as an attractive destination for trade, investment, tourism, culture and the natural way of life.

Uyangoda thanked the Japanese Government for the increased development assistance extended to Sri Lanka which he observed is testimony to the confidence reposed by the Japanese Government in the 'Mahinda Chinthana' 10-year development strategy.

The Festival provided the Japanese with the opportunity of experiencing a taste of Sri Lanka in the heart of Tokyo.

It also provided a window of opportunity to Sri Lankan small- and medium-scale business entrepreneurs to promote their products in Japan and make contacts with prospective business partners.

The Festival was organised by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Japan with no burden to the Sri Lankan Government, as more than 90 per cent of the Festival budget was raised in Japan from Japanese and Sri Lankan sponsors and well-wishers.

The Festival sported 105 trading stalls in which over 80 companies based in Japan and in Sri Lanka displayed and sold a range of Sri Lankan products.