February 10, in the lobby of the STL the traditional Japanese New Year holiday Mochizuki was held. The main organizer was the administration of the Japanese school in Kyiv with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine and the Ukrainian-Japanese center of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Among the honorable guests were representatives of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, headed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Ukraine Takashi Kurai, representatives of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and head of the department of Japanese Philology of KNLU Volodymyr Pyrogov.
The festive events in the Ukrainian-Japanese center were opened by the Japanese ambassador in Ukraine, Takashi Kurai, and the first vice-rector of the university Yurii Yakymenko.
In his welcoming speech, Yurii Yakymenko wished their families peace and well-being and expressed hope for the continuation of Ukrainian-Japanese cooperation within the walls of the Ukrainian-Japanese center of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
For the Japanese community, the traditional making Mochizuki rice balls in New Year celebration are very important. This is one of the opportunities for families to get together, remember the past year and share plans for the current year, prepare festive dishes together and share them among themselves, thus sharing both the difficulties and the joys of each other.
Kateryna Luhovska, director of the Ukrainian-Japanese center, conducted an excursion around the center for the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Ukraine Takashi Kurai. During the excursion around the center, the first vice-rector presented honorable guest with a book by Japanese philosopher Daisaku Ikeda and university rector Michael Zgurovsky “Dialogues,” in which social, political, civil and state processes relevant to both Japan and Ukraine are reviewed.
At the end of informal visit, Takashi Kurai thanked for the great holiday and promised to visit the university in the near future.