Kukai: Haiku Exchange

In the afternoon of 21^st February, the Mission of Japan to the EU hosted a Kukai (句会)event for the first time at the Japan Information and Cultural Center (JICC). A kukai is a haiku (俳句) meeting where the participants bring together their original haiku, sharing and evaluating them with each other. This event was a part of our celebrations of the 50^th anniversary of Japan-EU Friendship.

The event was moderated by renowned Japanese haiku poet Ms. Kazuko Nishimura and supported by Professor Willy Vande Walle, Emeritus Professor of Japanese Studies at KU Leuven. The event was attended by Haiku Ambassador for Japan-EU Friendship H.E. Mr. Herman Van Rompuy and Mr. Daniel Leroy who has been organizing the yearly haiku competition in Belgium since 2009. The Ambassador of Japan to Belgium, H.E. Mr Mikami and Mrs. Mikami also participated in the Kukai.

Many beautiful pieces of haiku were brought to life by esteemed poets and passionate practitioners.