CAIRO: On a clear and sunny Friday afternoon overlooking the city's wonderfully hazy skyline, over 250 Japanese and Egyptian families, students, and government representatives gathered amidst the usual flurry of tourists around the Pyramids of Giza with a single aim in mind - to test Cairo's winds with Japanese kites In celebration of the opening of the 2008 Japan-Egypt Year of Science and Technology, modern Japanese kites were shared and flown high into the air against the backdrop of the Khafre Pyramid in order to arouse curiosity in science and technology, old and new, among the youth of both countries. The Lindako kite, translated from Japanese as a series of kites in one line, was featured alongside the pyramids in order to stimulate questions about aero-science and architectural technology. The Lindako - or Arch Kite - was created by the prominent Japanese kite researcher Eiji Ohhashi and is designed to be flown by two persons under any wind condition. Billowing hundreds of feet into the sky under the manipulation of a team of Japanese and Egyptian kite flyers, the Arch Kite formed a nearly perfect arc over the pyramids that left spectators and children in awe. In appreciation of Japan's 1,300-year-old kite culture and Egypt's 3,000-year-old testament to science and architecture, the Lindako kite and pyramids were chosen as the symbols for the Year of Science. Naturally curious as to how kites stay afloat, and amazed by the grandeur of the pyramids, the children were encouraged to ask questions of officials and parents. As H.E. Mr. Kaoru Ishikawa, Ambassador of Japan, explained, such questions are "the very basis for development of science and technology. The event was clearly a success from the point of view of the children, as they took charge of brightly painted kites featuring Japanese art, and ran around the place laughing all the while. A result of the Japan Arab Conference held in November 2007, the event was arranged in recognition of the "harmonious relationship between both countries and each nation's commitment to science, technology, and cultural exchange, said Takerou Mori from the Embassy of Japan. It reflects over 140 years of cooperation between Japan and Egypt. The choice of location was key to the event s success, and procedures were overseen by Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Other notable guests included Hany Hilal, Minister of Higher Education, Ambassador Hisham Badr, Assistant Foreign Minister, and Ahmed A. Azim, Secretary General of Egypt-Japan Business Council, the Japanese Foundation, and the Japanese School in Cairo. The Egyptian-Japanese partnership will oversee the implementation of "seminars, lectures and exchange programs between 15 universities in Japan and Egypt directed towards applied sciences like pharmacy, medicine, and engineering, said Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Hisham Badr. The partnership has also seen the recent creation of the Japanese Society for Art and Culture in Egypt, which, according to its director Dalia Hammonda, hopes to transfer art and culture between the two countries by offering classes in such traditional Japanese arts as flower arrangement, known as ikabana, and Japanese tea ceremony, as well the chance to take Japanese language courses. The purpose of the society, says Hammonda, is "to build bridges of understanding between the peoples of Egypt and Japan. Both Egypt and Japan are countries with very old and rich cultures; this Society is a means of cultivating curiosity between one another and learning from each other's cultures. "Too often relations between countries exist in political or economic terms, but I think it is important not to forget that we need to understand how the peoples from Egypt and Japan think and live, to understand their philosophy and gain from each other's cultures. The formal inauguration of the 2008 Japan-Egypt Year of Science and Technology will be held on March 8 at the Mohammad Ali Mosque in Al-Azhar Park.
