By Amanda Roberson, Tico Times Staff

Costa Rica is about to get a taste of Japan that includes more than just sushi as Japan Week kicks off Saturday. A slew of activities, including cinematic, culinary and intellectual events will be held around the Central Valley through Nov. 11, the Japanese Embassy announced at a press conference yesterday.

In its fourth year, Japan Week has grown along with the “fascination” Ticos have for this eastern country’s culture, explained the week’s coordinator Natsue Kaneko.

A growing number of young Ticos are studying Japanese, some with the hope of working for a multinational company and others because of their interest in karate, judo and other aspects of Japanese culture that have transcended the country’s borders and are now popular worldwide, she said.

Japan Week begins Saturday with happenings at the American Mall in San Pedro, east of San José, including a demonstration on the bonsai plant and a tasting of rakugo, a traditional Japanese treat.

The unique musical group Aun will perform Sunday at the National Auditorium inside the Children’s Museum in San José. Twins Ryohei and Kohei Taiko combine electronic sounds with traditional Japanese melodies to produce a fusion Japanese Ambassador Yoshihiko Sumi yesterday called a reflection of Japan’s dynamic culture.

“Japan has a long and dynamic history, and it is changing a lot,” Sumi said. “With this week, we want to present not only the traditional image of Japan, but the contemporary image as well.”

Sumi himself will perform a piano concert Saturday alongside Costa Rican violinist María Lourdes Lobo at the Costa Rican Art Museum in San José.

Additionally, Culture Minister María Elena Carballo, an expert on Japanese literature, will lead a roundtable discussion on this topic Nov. 9 at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) in San Pedro, east of San José.