Your Excellency W/z Zenebu Tadesse, Minister of Youth, Children and Women's Affairs,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Endemen Walachehu.

It is a great pleasure for me to celebrate the Girls Day Festival with so many female guests here in Addis Ababa.  First, I would like to express my heartfelt welcome to all of you who have gathered here at my Residence for this festive occasion.

In Japan, the Girls Day celebration is held traditionally on the 3rd of March, to pray for girls’ healthy growth and happiness and share the joyous moment.  As you see here, we celebrate this day by displaying a set of Hina Dolls, which represents the old imperial court, composed of the Emperor, the Empress, their attendants and musicians, which existed in the Heian era, dating back more than 1000 years.

In Japan, we celebrate Girls Day with our daughters and their friends in front of these Dolls and enjoy sweet sake and special sweets, both specially prepared for this festival. 　Today, we will serve some of them.  By the way, there is an interesting saying about Hina Dolls that if one does not take down the Hina Dolls right after the Girls Day, one’s daughters will not be able to get married!  So usually, most of the families hectically put away the Dolls on the following day.  Here we will also take away the Dolls right after the Girls Day!

Today, on this occasion, we have prepared a special demonstration of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, given by the Embassy Spouses Group, led by Mrs. Ito and Mrs. Kobayashi.  Mrs. Kobayashi is a 15-year practitioner of the tea ceremony.  I am very much looking forward to enjoying her lovely maccha tea, which is made from strong powdered green tea.

To experience the tea ceremony is to experience an integral part of Japanese culture.  It is a way of art and elegance, Zen, hospitality and tradition.  Our tea ceremony is similar to the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, as both ceremonies use special instruments and observe specific procedures that all the participants must follow.  These constitute important parts of our cultures.  Japanese people spend time enjoying one cup of tea, just as the Ethiopian people take time to enjoy a cup of coffee.  Each step of the process is meaningful in both ceremonies.

Today, I hope that we can all experience and enjoy this tea ceremony and feel Japanese culture closer to our hearts.  Experiencing the tea ceremony is experiencing a spiritual world.  Please imagine yourself at a quiet peaceful tea house in Japan and soak up the calmness there.

Amesegenalehu.  Thank you very much.