Japanese ambassador talks about cultural commonalities with Iran

Tehran, IRNA – Japan’s ambassador to Iran said that the two countries have many common cultural properties and some joint cultural projects, including movies. In an interview with IRNA on Tuesday, Japan’s ambassador to Iran Aikawa Kazutoshi said that there is a cultural phenomenon in Iran called “Taarof”, i.e. compliment, which has an equivalent culture in Japan, according to which people show humbleness when dealing with each other. Iranians are also known to be hospitable, Kazutoshi said, adding that this is also true about Japanese people who warmly welcome foreigners when they travel to Japan. The ambassador highlighted joint cultural activities between Iranian and Japanese people, mentioning joint painting exhibitions and cinematic productions. He said that the celebrated Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami produced one of his films in Japan with the collaboration of a Japanese group. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish