By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, June 15 — The Japanese festival of Bon Odori, which courted quite the controversy last year, will return for its 47th edition next month.
This year’s festival will be held on July 22 from 7pm to 9.30pm at the Shah Alam National Sports Complex (Panasonic) in Section 21, Shah Alam, with free admission.
The matter was confirmed by Tourism Selangor via a post on its Facebook page and an update on its official website selangor.travel yesterday.
Based on its promotional poster, the event will feature various cultural acts, including the Bon Odori Dance and the traditional Japanese “Wadaiko” drums performance.
Free shuttle bus service will be offered between KTM Shah Alam station and the event venue from 4pm to 10pm.
The event is jointly organised by The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, The Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur and the Embassy of Japan.
This year’s celebration also marks the 60th anniversary of The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur and 50th anniversary of the Asean-Japan friendship and cooperation.
Last year, the Bon Odori Festival became the centre of controversy after various PAS leaders, including former religious affairs minister Datuk Idris Ahmad, urged Muslims to boycott the event.
Idris had said that this is to avoid confusion among Muslims, as the programme contains elements of Buddhist rituals.
Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj, however, decreed that the state Islamic Religious Department must not obstruct anyone from attending the event or prevent the celebration from taking place.
On June 9 last year, His Royal Highness suggested that Idris attend the festival to see for himself the difference between culture and religion, and urged the PAS leader not to issue any confusing and inaccurate statements.
Bon Odori, which began as a small gathering for Japanese expatriates to immerse their children in Japanese culture in 1977, has now grown into a much-awaited annual event of more than 30,000 participants each year.
