ISLAMABAD: Madam WADA Naoko, spouse of Ambassador of Japan, hosted an event at the ambassador’s residence titled “How Beautiful the Moon is” to welcome the autumn season together with friends from diplomatic community in Islamabad, says a press release issued here on Monday.

The spirit of valuing each season as well as seasonal transitions is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. During transition from summer to winter, and from winter to summer, people in Japan especially respect the significance of nature. Fruitful autumn is just as festive as beautiful blooming spring in Japan.

The press release said the event started with an informative lecture regarding the significance of autumn to the Japanese people.

The main theme was Tsukimi (Japan’s Moon-Viewing tradition). This autumn tradition has been uniquely expanded into various scenes such as festival, art and Japanese cuisine. She highlighted the spirit of celebrating change of seasons while she is in Pakistan where it is currently transiting from a very hot summer to cooler autumn. She said that celebration of full moon is a very old tradition and is widely practiced in Japan even to this day.

After the lecture, participants experienced autumn through traditional Japanese cuisine curated by the Japanese chef. Participants also enjoyed the beautiful photos of the moon taken in Pakistan on the screen.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023