KUCHING: Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah encouraged the public to draw inspiration from Japanese customs, culture, and social development.
Reflecting on a family trip to Japan, he recounted an incident where his son accidentally left his pouch on a coach, which was eventually returned even after a significant time had passed.
“I still remember when we were in Japan, my son left his pouch in a coach. Two hours later, it was still there, and the driver made an effort to trace our hotel and return it to us.
“If this had happened in Kuching or Malaysia, the pouch would be gone within five minutes. This is the kind of culture we should look up to. We have much to learn from the Japanese, given their long history and civilisation,” he said.
He said this during the opening ceremony of the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) 2024 at the Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) CityONE Megamall today (Oct 10).
Abdul Karim also highlighted the example set by Japanese football fans during the World Cup, who gained international recognition for cleaning up trash in the stadium after matches.
“For example, Japanese fans made headlines worldwide for picking up trash and bottles after the World Cup games.
“We can even sleep in the public toilets in Japan if we want to. This is the kind of behaviour and culture we should aim to emulate and adopt,” he said.
Meanwhile, he expressed his joy in being able to officiate at the 20th JFF 2024, also being its 12th time held in Kuching.
“I’m very happy and glad to be able to officiate again this year.
As always, we are happy to have and support the film festival that not only promotes greater mutual understanding between our nations and cultures, but also further emphasises the power of cinema to transcend borders and bring people of different background together,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of cultural exchanges, noting how such events facilitate collaboration and connection among individuals.
“Opportunities to host cultural exchanges like this one encourages collaboration and learning from each other.
Cultural events, music festivals and film festivals, such as the What About Kuching (WAK) and JFF, help to create space for the arts and culture to thrive, be it film, theatre, music or literature, promoting collaboration and sharing among people from all walks of life,” he said.
He extended an invitation to the Japanese community to visit Sarawak and the melting pot of cultures in store for them.
“You will always be welcome to Sarawak, bring your families and friends because we’ve got a lot of interesting places for you to visit down here and we are always more than happy to assist,” he said.
He congratulated the Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur (KL), and GSC for yet another successful collaboration.
“Congratulations to the Japan Foundation, KL and GSC for another successful of JFF and may they continue to do so for the many years to come,” he expressed.
Also present at the ceremony was the director of the Japan Foundation KL, Tsukamoto Norihisa, and the country representative for Malaysia general manager of Mitsubishi Corporation KL, Kosuke Makino.
The JFF 2024 runs from Oct 10-13 at the GSC CityONE Megamall, featuring a diverse line-up of over 12 films, including genres like drama, sci-fi, romance, thriller, and animation.
Those interested can visit JFF’s official website (https://jfklevents.com/japanese-film-festival-2024) for a complete listing of film synopsis, showtimes, and additional information.
