The “Türkiye Festival” held in Tokyo, Japan, brought vibrant moments as Japanese attendees enjoyed Turkish music and dance performances. Participants, including local dancers, joined in the traditional Turkish dance, halay, creating a colorful and lively atmosphere.
The festival took place at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo and was organized with the support of the Yunus Emre Institute. Visitors had the opportunity to taste authentic Turkish cuisine and shop for unique Turkish souvenirs. The event also featured performances of Turkish music and traditional folk dances by Japanese artists. One of the highlights was a performance by a Japanese mehter band (an Ottoman military band), which captured the audience’s attention.
Yuko Tanaka, a festival attendee, expressed her enthusiasm for the event, saying, “The mehter performance was beautiful. I really liked it.” Eiko Ishikawa, who attended the festival to try Turkish food and watch the Mehter performance, added, “It was a lot of fun.”
Ryuichiro Sakan, a Japanese musician in the mehter band, explained that many people from both Japan and Türkiye attended the festival specifically to experience the mehter performance. “The music played by the mehter band is very powerful, and that’s why everyone enjoyed listening to it so much,” Sakan said.
The Türkiye Festival in Tokyo showcased a cultural exchange between Japan and Türkiye, bringing both nations closer through music, dance and shared traditions.