The Special Promotion Conference on Shanxi Culture and Tourism (Kyoto) for the Expo 2025 Osaka Concludes Successfully

From September 27th to 29th, the Shanxi Week of the Expo 2025 Osaka kicked off wonderfully. As a highlight, the “Millennial Charm of Shanxi, Shared with Japan” Shanxi Culture and Tourism (Kyoto) Special Promotion Conference took the lead on September 27th. The dance “Dreamlike Yungang” recreated the charm of the grottoes, intangible cultural heritage stories conveyed the warmth of craftsmanship, Shanxi noodle art master demonstrated “art on the tip of the tongue”, and Shanxi-Japan enterprises signed agreements to expand practical cooperation... The promotion conference, as a “Rendezvous of Shanxi and Japan” pning mountains and seas, added new luster to the cultural and tourism exchange between China and Japan.

From the stunning opening performance “Celebrating the Year of the Snake – Splendid Chapters of Shanxi Charm” of the Shanxi Cultural Year at the beginning of the year in Tokyo, to the in-depth dialogue in the ancient capital of Kyoto this autumn, Shanxi’s cultural exchange activities in Japan have continued unabated with sustained enthusiasm. Through various forms such as cultural displays, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and project signings, the event collectively presented Shanxi’s profound historical heritage, magnificent natural landscapes, and vibrant intangible cultural heritage skills to all sectors of Japanese society, further deepening cultural, tourism exchanges and practical cooperation between Shanxi and Japan, and injecting new vitality into Sino-Japanese cultural mutual learning. 

The promotion conference began with an immersive cultural experience. The Yungang Grottoes niches, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, the colored sculptures of Changzhi Guanyin Hall... during the warm-up session, the promotional video “the Destined One: Shanxi Special” premiered, leading the guests on a virtual tour through Shanxi’s magnificent scroll with the Monkey King. At the event, guests from both Shanxi and Japan engaged in in-depth discussions on cultural and tourism cooperation. The relevant official from the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism stated in his speech that Shanxi and Japan, especially Kyoto, share profound historical connections and remarkable cultural resonance. The Shanxi Provincial Government will continue to optimize the policy environment, provide high-quality services for Japanese friends investing, starting businesses, and traveling in Shanxi, and sincerely invited everyone to visit Shanxi personally to jointly open a new chapter in Shanxi-Japan cultural and tourism exchanges. 

Toyoki Oka, Representative Director and Bureau Chief of the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization, shared his deep connection with Shanxi in his speech. He expressed hope that both sides, whether in Japan or China, could continuously enhance mutual understanding through face-to-face, on-site exchanges, and ultimately yield fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation.