Yoko Matsumoto, wife of the Japanese Ambassador to Papua New Guineae, today hosted the first ever Kimono demonstration in the country.
The Kimono is the Japanese traditional dress and is one of the world’s instantly recognisable traditional garments.
With the boost of PNG’s ties with Japan in the areas of trade and business, cultural understanding is also important.
The Kimono demonstration was hosted by the wife of Ambassador Morio Matsumoto, Madam Yoko, at the pair’s official residence in Port Moresby.
Guests of Mrs Matsumoto, mainly women from various organisations, were presented a brief history of the traditional Japanese attire.
The word kimono literally means “clothing”, and up until the mid-19th century it was the form of dress worn by everyone in Japan.
Today, kimonos are most often worn by women on special occasions. A few older women and even fewer men still wear the kimono on a daily basis.
People wear the kimono most often at weddings, tea ceremonies, and other very special or very formal occasions.
The modern Japan is known as a world leader in technology.
Just this week, a Japanese biologist won the prestigious Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
For PNG, Japan is considered an important development partner in terms of its investment in PNGs gas, education and other sectors.
The Kimono demonstration was a reminder that like PNG, Japan has a very rich culture. Ambassador and Mrs Matsumoto provided a glimpse into this almost overshadowed cultural side of Japan.
