Skopje, 4 November 2025 (MIA) — To mark the Japanese public holiday Culture Day (文化の日, Bunka no Hi), a concert of Japanese minyō music will be held for the first time in the country, beginning at 7 pm at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence. 

Organized by the Embassy of Japan, the country's first concert of Japanese traditional folk songs will feature Japanese folk musicians Hibiki Ichikawa and Akari Mochizuki. The concert will also be the first in a series of events promoting Japanese art and culture in Skopje and Bitola in November.  

"Culture Day (Bunka no Hi) in Japan celebrates freedom and peace promoting culture, arts and academia every Nov. 3," the Embassy of Japan said in a press release.

"A variety of events are held in Japan on Culture Day, including the presentation ceremony of the Order of Culture Awards at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The Emperor presents the awards to those who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of science, art or culture," the release reads.

To offer an insight into the culture of Japan through Japanese films, the embassy has organized a week of screenings at the Cinematheque in Skopje (Nov. 13 through 18) and the Cultural and Information Center in Bitola (Nov. 19 and 20).

The films to be shown are "Under the Open Sky" (2020), "Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko" (2021), "Penguin Highway" (2021), "Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku" (2020), "Rent-a-Cat" (2012) and "The Burmese Harp" (1956). Admission is free. mr/