Emperor's Birthday Reception

      
  

The Embassy held the National Day Reception celebrating the 60th birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan at Grand Hotel Reykjavik. The reception was attended by over 200 guests from various fields: the government, diplomatic missions, private sectors, educational, cultural and academic sectors.
 
Ambassador Kitagawa welcomed the guests with his speech, where he wished for the continued good health and happiness of His Majesty, as well as further development of bilateral relationship between Japan and Iceland. It was also Ambassador Kitagawa’s last opportunity to bid farewell to everyone before his tenure ends in the end of February, so he reflected on the over 3 years of activities in Iceland and reiterated his appreciation for the support he was given during these times.
 
Together with sushi-making demonstration by the Japanese Ambassador’s chef in the reception hall, Japan-related companies in Iceland displayed their products such as whisky, Awamori, electronic devices, cosmetics and so forth, as well as the newest car models from Lexus, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda. The reception was opened with a beautiful performance of the national anthems of both Japan and Iceland by the senior male choral group Gamlir Fóstbræður. The reception was well received by all of our guests.