Summer Festival and Bon Odori 2025

On July 12, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre hosted the “Summer Festival and Bon Odori 2025”. Many people from diverse communities in Toronto and the surrounding areas, as well as Japanese Canadians, gathered at the venue to enjoy food and games at the stalls and Bon Odori dance which are all typical of Japanese summer festivals. In his opening remarks, Consul General Matsunaga Takeshi mentioned that Bon is an event for honouring ancestors and that summer is also a season of memorial service for Japanese people. He emphasized that since the end of the war, Japan has worked hard, together with countries around the world, including Canada, to promote peace and prosperity in the international community. He expressed his hope that this summer festival will serve as an opportunity to further deepen the friendly relationship between the two countries, building on the history of exchange and friendship that we have built up over the years, and that peace and prosperity be realized in the international community.