The Center for Japanese Language and Culture, Gifu University Organization for Promotion of Glocalization (GU-GLOCAL), hosted a "Gagaku Culture Experience Concert" on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. The concert was a part of the "Japanese Culture Workshop" series, which aims to promote Japanese culture and traditions. Gagaku is an ancient Japanese court dance and music that has been passed down for over a thousand years.

Approximately 40 people participated in the workshop, including Winter School 2023 students from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG, India), the National University of Malaysia (UKM, Malaysia), and international students studying the Japanese Language and Culture Studies Course of the center. Two Gagaku instructors, Mr. KONDO Yasushi and Ms. KONDO Chikako were invited to give instructions on Gagaku to the participants. The two are promoting Gagaku culture widely to the public.

In the first half of the workshop, Gagaku music concert was held, followed by a lecture on Gagaku history. After listening to the "Etenraku" performance, the instructors asked questions about Gagaku to the participants, and by answering these questions, they learned that Gagaku came into existence from a mixture and integration of different cultures introduced in Japan. They also learned that Gagaku musical instruments became an origin for many contemporary musical instruments played by people today.

English papers on Gagaku were distributed to international students who are not yet proficient in Japanese. During the Question-and-Answer Session, the participants raised many questions to the instructors.

In the second half of the workshop, the participants were invited to play the musical instruments used for Gagaku, such as Hichiriki, Ryuteki flutes, and Horagai trumpet shell, and to try on traditional kimonos called "Kariginu" and "Uchigi" which were worn by noble people during Heian Period (794 -1185). Everyone enjoyed playing the instruments and wearing traditional kimonos. They spent some time taking pictures with one another.

The following are the comments by the participants; "The workshop was a great opportunity for us to know about traditional Japanese music and kimonos," and "The workshop was a lot of fun. The sounds of traditional instruments were all amazing." GU-GLOCAL continues to offer people an opportunity to get immersed in depth and breadth of Japanese traditional culture.