Since its inception in 1997, the Japan Festival Nederland in Amstelveen has grown into one of the most important Dutch-Japanese cultural exchange events in the Netherlands. As a result, the festival attracts visitors from all over the Netherlands and even abroad. Since 2016, the festival is organised annually by the Stichting Japan Festival (Japan Festival Foundation), a non-profit organization that aims to strengthen the ties between the Japanese and Dutch communities. 

After an unfortunate break of two years due to Covid regulations, the Japan Festival came back in 2022 with the slogan “Reconnect for tomorrow”, and it was the most successful edition so far with the largest number of visitors. By organizing the Japan Festival 2023 we hope to keep the momentum after the reconnection and to further strengthen the ties between Japan and the Netherlands. Therefore, we selected the theme ‘Smile together’ for the 2023 festival. We would like to share with you the joy of being connected and the comfort of feeling affinity with each other through this festival. 

The festival provides a wide variety of Japanese food, products, workshops and stage performances which can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It will create a perfect opportunity for local Dutch people as well as foreigners living in the Netherlands to discover and experience the uniqueness of Japanese culture. Furthermore, it is our hope that through this festival Japanese people in the Netherlands will be reminded of their own country and will be made to feel at home here.

The Japan Festival is a not-for-profit event and is thankfully enabled by the generous contributions by those who support the festival and its goal.

We look forward to seeing you at the Japan Festival 2023!

Akihiko Sekiguchi
Chairman of the Japan Festival Foundation