The Romanian Cultural Institute Tokyo, in collaboration with the Romanian Embassy in Japan and the Minato City Hall in Tokyo, is organizing, on Sunday, March 29, 2026, the first edition of the Rokusan Festa festival, dedicated to spring customs and traditions. Romania, as a guest country, proposed a project to promote and present Mărțișor - one of the most important and well-known traditional Romanian symbols, which will include: an exhibition of mărțișor and handicrafts, workshops on making mărțișor using traditional crochet and knitting techniques and creative workshops on illustrations inspired by Romanian words, heroes and fairy tales supported by: Cornelia Kasahara, Dorothea Kogure, Elena Teodora Ștefan, Cornelia Sekiguchi and Violeta Yurita. The Romanian cultural landscape will be completed by the traditional music recital performed by the famous Lord of the Accordion – Jan Mocanu and the younger but very talented Viorel Papuc, followed by presentations of authentic musical instruments (caval, flute, bagpipes, panflute). The public will be able to visit the stands with authentic products and dishes offered by representatives of local Romanian restaurants: Conte Restaurant, Gaby’s Cucina Cafe and Daniel’s Wine Club. Also, the curious will be able to watch presentations of Romanian culinary traditions and customs related to the arrival of spring.
The event will take place on March 29, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at Rokusan Plaza - a public space recently rehabilitated and renovated by Minato City Hall, located in the immediate vicinity of Roppongi Hills - one of the most visited and popular areas in Tokyo.
Jan Mocanu: Lord of the Accordion and Architect of Modern Fiddle Playing. A virtuoso who transformed the accordion from a simple accompaniment instrument into a true solo orchestra, Jan Mocanu remains an untouchable landmark for generations of musicians who followed him. Born in a time when music was transmitted "from hand to hand", Jan Mocanu quickly overcame the barriers of self-taughtness. With a discipline rarely found in the fiddle playing environment, he managed to combine native talent with a finger technique of surgical precision. His style was defined by what critics called the “crystal sound” – the ability to play each note clearly, distinctly and with vigor, even in the most complex passages of speed. Jan Mocanu’s career was not limited to local parties; he was an artist of international stature. As a core member of elite institutions such as the “Rapsodia Română” Ensemble and a collaborator of the “Ciocârlia” Orchestra, he was part of the “cultural elite” that took Romanian folklore abroad.
Viorel Papuc began his musical studies at the age of 8. He performs traditional Romanian music, early music (including works by Anton Pann), classical, international, film, Byzantine, religious and Gregorian music. He is a multi-instrumentalist, mastering the bagpipes, flute and cavallo in addition to the panflute.
Cornelia Raluca Sekiguchi – Born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, she studied history, journalism and education at Babeș-Bolyai University, where she obtained her diploma in pre-university education. After teaching history for five years in high schools in Romania, she started a new chapter by moving to Japan, where she worked as an English and Romanian teacher in various places, including Kawamura Gakuen, Seikei University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. In addition to teaching foreign languages, she has been involved in organizing and contributing to cultural programs that promote Romanian and Japanese heritage. Her volunteer work includes first organizing the “Japanese Cultural Days” in Romania and the Urasenke tea ceremonies in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan, and then in Japan with the Hello Kids program and Ageo Global Association. Embroidery in particular holds a special place in her heart. It started as a hobby a few years ago and since then she can’t stop sewing, embroidery has become a part of her everyday life. Coordinates the activities of the group Şezătoare JaponIA.
Cornelia Rafila Kasahara - freelancer - translation activities in Romanian, Japanese, supports/interprets (courses of) music and dance, creator of objects of traditional Romanian inspiration, using traditional but also modern techniques. Her activities and qualities are reinforced by official documents attesting to her qualifications: 2003 - certificate issued by the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs for folklore-vocal soloist of popular music (from Hunedoara/Banat, Alba and Sibiu counties in particular), 2005 - is an authorized translator for the Japanese-Romanian language / retroversion, document issued by the Ministry of Justice of Romania, 2005 - certification of completion of a Japanese language teaching course in Japan, with a document issued by the Japanese Language Institute where she studied. As passions/hobbies we mention: non-fiction literature, sports-running, skiing, dancing, yoga, nature and health, textile art/the art of hand sewing - from traditional stitches to slow-stitch, in a modern/abstract style.
Elena Teodora (Irina) Ștefan - has been living in Japan for 11 years. She graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Bucharest and followed a master's program in French linguistics, benefiting from a scholarship at the University of Valencia. She currently works in the administrative field at a Japanese language school. She is passionate about everything related to handwork, especially embroidery, and wants to take courses in Kaketsugi, an exquisite Japanese technique for invisible restoration of clothing items. She is part of the Şezătoare JaponIA group.
Dorothea Kogure - has been part of the Romanian diaspora since 2013. She has lived in Germany and Pakistan, now in Japan. She has changed 7 houses, 5 cities. She lives in Tokyo, with her 3 children. Her diploma says she is an economist, with a bachelor's and master's degree in French, at ASE. After years of searching, she returned to what she loved to do since childhood, to write and draw, and now she explores imaginary worlds with children. In 2023 she attended creative writing workshops with Iulian Tănase, Florin Iaru and Marin Mălaicu-Hondrari for adults and with Diana Geacăr and Ana-Maria Sandu, within the Revista de Povestiri, for children's literature. She is currently taking illustration courses at Musagei Art College in Tokyo.
Violeta Yurita, mathematician, researcher in the pedagogical - educational field (Mathematics Education, Pedagogy, Pedagogical Instrument), studied in Bucharest and at Michigan State University, USA. She was a professor at Shimane University and currently works in educational research in Tokyo. She lives in Japan with her husband.
