JAPAN USHERS IN "RUSSIAN SEASON''

TOKYO, May 5 (RIA Novosti's Andrei Fesyun) - A second Russian Season has opened in Japan, as part of the 5th spring festival of stage arts. At the opening gala, the Bolshoi Ballet performed a medley of highlights from "The Swan Lake," "Don Quixot," "Le Corsaire," "The Nutcracker," and "Esmeralde." Russia and Japan need to know and understand each other to be able to improve their relations, Ambassador Alexander Losyukov said at a reception to celebrate the reopening of Russian Seasons. He stressed the importance of cultural exchange for the two nations.

Next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Russo-Japanese diplomatic relations, and it is highly symbolic that this momentous event took place in the prefecture of Shizuoka, precisely where the Russian theatrical arts festival is now underway.

Tadashi Suzuki, Director of Shizuoka's Stage Arts Center, pointed out, for his part, that culture is the best way to bring nations closer together.

The Russian Season in Japan has been initiated and organized by the Russian International Confederation of Theater Unions and Shizuoka's Stage Arts Center. The festival is taking place in the city of Shizuoka, 200 kilometers west of Tokyo, so its participants and guests have an opportunity to enjoy the picturesque scenery of the area and the spectacular views of Mount Fuji.