2018.25.3 Attendance at the 2018 Minato City World Carnival.

Attendance at the 2018 Minato City World Carnival.

March 25, 2018: His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Bashir Mohabbat had the pleasure of attending this year’s Annual Minato City World Carnival held at the base of one of Tokyo’s prominent landmarks, Tokyo Tower.

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Mohabbat participated in the official Opening Ceremony along with the Minato City Deputy Mayor, Mr. Akira Oyaizu, and other dignitaries of the Minato City area.

This grand international event, which draws thousands of guests each year, is the culmination of the efforts of the Minato Ward World Festival at the end of the Minato City Stamp Rally. It was hosted by Minato City Hall, Japan Travel Bureau (JTB), Minato International Association, Minato Travel & Tourism Association, Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Minato Chapter), and Junior Chamber International Tokyo Minato Area. It is one of the largest events hosted annually by Minato City and has participants from dozens of other embassies and international organizations who introduce the charm of each of their respective countries to the many visitors by highlighting the music, art, ethnic costumes, and cuisine of each country.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Japan's Public Relations Office had the pleasure of hosting two separate booths: one booth for displaying cultural items, costumes, crafts, and goods – such as lapis lazuli jewelry, henna tattoos, gand-e afghani & chapan, and award winning Afghan saffron; and one booth for preparing and serving freshly made bolani-e gandana (leek/chive) & bolani-e kachalu (spiced potato) with chatney and also sweet sheer chai. The booths were staffed by the embassy's local staff and interns from its Internship Program. Both booths together welcomed a total of over 1000 visitors who stopped by to learn more about Afghanistan.

Additionally, it was a pleasure of the embassy to communicate and further strengthen the friendly inter-embassy relationship with other embassies, as well as local residents and businesses through this event. The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan through its Public Relations Office expresses its deep appreciation to organizers for the coordination and cooperation which allowed us to participate in the 2018 Minato City World Festival, the Minato City Stamp Rally, and the Minato City World Carnival, thus successfully teaching approximately 2000 visitors this year about Afghanistan and her beautiful culture.

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2017.4.11 Attendance at “Afghanistan Day” Hosted by Minato International Association

Attendance at “Afghanistan Day” Hosted by Minato International Association

November 4, 2017: His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Bashir Mohabbat had the honor and pleasure of attending “Afghanistan Day” hosted by Minato International Association at Mita NN Hall in Shiba, Minato-ku. Mr. Ahmad Bashir Ghafoori, First Secretary; Mr. Basir Ahmad Hamdard, First Secretary; Mr. Asif Agah, Second Secretary; Ms. Allyson Diaz, Public Relations Officer; and Mr. M. Ashraf Baburi, Administration and Accounting Affairs at the Embassy of Afghanistan were also in attendance. Approximately 100 guests attended the event.

The event began with opening remarks by Mr. Akira Yoshida, Chair of the Executive Committee of Minato International association, and a speech by Mr. Koichi Mori, Director of Minato International Association. Following opening remarks by Mr. Yoshida and Mr. Mori, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Mohabbat gave a speech expressing his sincere gratitude to Minato International Association for hosting the event and thanked the roughly one hundred attendees for coming. Furthermore, H.E. Dr. Mohabbat expressed his hope that the guests would cherish their opportunity to delve into the rich and ancient culture of Afghanistan that the media too often overlooks. After H.E. Dr. Mohabbat’s speech, Mr. Baburi gave a great presentation on the history, people, and culture of Afghanistan.

Throughout the event, guests enjoyed traditional Afghan music performed by Chalpasah as well Afghan goods. Cuisines, and beverages provided by Afghan Brothers, Afghan Bazaar, and Afghan Saffron. To conclude the event, Mr. Yoshida gave closing remarks and thanked everyone for coming.