Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Tokyo

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Tokyo is responsible for Japan and South Korea. The embassy provides a range of consular services, disseminates information about Slovenia in Japan and looks for cooperation opportunities, especially in the fields of trade and economy. Its tasks also include the promotion of Slovene arts and culture through cultural exchanges, promotion, presentations, and public diplomacy.

Cultural cooperation

In 2012, the Republic of Slovenia and Japan celebrated the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations after the legal basis for cooperation in culture, education, and science between Slovenia and Japan was adopted in 1992 as part of the succession of the former republic of Yugoslavia. Slovenia, as a member of Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF), also promotes mutual cultural exchange between the two regions, including both Slovenia and Japan.

The embassy regularly disseminates information on scholarships or exchange opportunities for students and researchers. The University of Tokyo also offers a Slovenian language lectureship for their students and represents a vital cultural exchange between the two states.

Literature and theatre

Several authors from Slovenia made their guest appearance and public readings in Japan with the support of the embassy. In the recent years writers, poets and publicists of a younger generation prevail: poet and publicist Katja Perat, poet Gašper Bivšek, writer Aleš Šteger and a film director, writer and scenarist Nejc Gazvoda who presented his A Trip, a film based on his early novel, at a World Festival of Modern Slovene Literature at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Other literati that presented their work in Japan included writer Milan Dekleva and poet Iztok Osojnik.

Works by the internationally acclaimed novelist, dramatist, playwright, and editor Evald Flisar were among other languages also translated into Japanese and produced as plays by Gessyoku Kagekidan Theatre from Tokyo (Tristan and Isolda, Nora Nora, What About Leonardo).

In 2014, the embassy supported the Japanese tour of two opera plays, Aida and Carmen, produced by the Opera of the Slovene National Theatre Maribor.

Visual arts and new media art

Embassy's supported projects include exhibitions by visual artist Metka Vergnion in Kobe and Fukushima. Outside embassy support in the field of visual art several other artists have presented their work in Japan: Jani Pirnat, member of Domestic Research Society, and Matej Andraž Vogrinčič, etc.

In field of new media art Marko Peljhan, artist and professor at California University in Santa Barbara, presented his works Arctic Perspective Initiative, ᐃᐱᒃᑐᖅ (Ipiktuq), polarm [mirrored] in Japan on several occasions. As a prolific new media artist his work receives global attention and is regularly presented internationally with help of his creative artistic platform Projekt Atol Institute, based in Ljubljana.

Photography and film

With support of several embassies from the ex-Yugoslav region and Centre for Slovene as a Second/Foreign Language annual Cinema Yugo initiative presents contemporary films from ex-Yugoslavia at the Tsukuba University and University of Tokyo. Recent films by Vlado Škafar, Rok Biček, Nejc Gazvoda, Marko Naberšnik and others were presented. Visitors of embassy's Facebook webpage can also ask the staff for a recommendation on Slovene films.

While film is still being a powerful and attractive medium for Japanese students of Slavic languages, the embassy in the past also supported photo exhibitions, among others by Slovene photographer Janez Vlachy at a group exhibition at Gallery Parada in Tokyo.

External links

Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Tokyo

Contents

Cultural cooperation

Literature and theatre

Visual arts and new media art

Photography and film

See also

External links

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