Hakata Dontaku Festival 2026 Becomes Platform to Promote Indonesian Culture

RRI.CO.ID, Tokyo – The Hakata Dontaku Festival 2026 in Fukuoka, Japan, was utilized by the Indonesian community as a platform to promote Indonesian arts and culture to Japanese and international audiences. During the festival, held throughout Japan’s Golden Week holiday on May 3-4, 2026, Indonesian participants showcased various cultural performances, including the Acehnese Saman dance, Makassar’s Padupa dance, angklung performances, and Indonesian traditional songs.

Counsellor for Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, Iqbal Mohammad Amrullah, said Indonesia’s participation in the Hakata Dontaku Festival was not only a cultural performance event but also a means of strengthening friendship between Indonesia and Japan.

“The Hakata Dontaku Festival is not merely about cultural performances, but also about celebrating friendship between nations, especially the friendship between Indonesia and Japan,” Iqbal said in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

According to him, Indonesia’s cultural diversity serves as a strength in fostering people-to-people relations between the two countries.

On the occasion, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo also invited Japanese residents to attend the Indonesia Festival scheduled to take place on October 3-4, 2026. Chairperson of the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) Fukuoka, Asyraflie, said the group presented the Saman and Padupa dances as part of efforts to introduce Indonesian culture to the Japanese public.

“We want Indonesian arts and culture to become more widely known among Japanese people,” the Kyushu University student conveyed.

The Indonesian cultural performances received enthusiastic responses from Japanese spectators and foreign visitors attending the Hakata Dontaku Festival. The highlight of the festival was a cultural parade along Meiji-dori Street, stretching approximately 1.27 kilometers, involving various Japanese community organizations and foreign communities, including Indonesia.