Tokyo, May 29, 2006 -- The Embassy of Japan in Serbia and Montenegro organised a tourism promotion event called "Yokoso! Japan" that took place at the Republic Square in Belgrade from May 20-23, 2006.
The event was supported by JT International and Toyota Serbia and Montenegro, with the help of Belgrade City Hall, the Volleyball Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, the Japan Volleyball Association, the Basketball Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, the Tourist Association of Belgrade and the Students' Cultural Centre.
Thanks to the support of Toyota, during these four days the citizens of Belgrade and their guests could obtain useful information about Japan in the heart of Belgrade, the Republic Square. They could see various promotional movies, pick up booklets, catalogues and other material regarding tourism in Japan, learn about scholarship programmes offered by the Japanese Government to students from Serbia and Montenegro, and other forms of cooperation between the two countries.
This year, Japan is organising the Volleyball World Championships for men and women, and the men's World Basketball Championship, so, thanks to the excellent cooperation between the Japanese Embassy in Belgrade and the Volleyball Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, special guests at the venue were members of the SCG men's and women's national teams.
On the first day of the "Yokoso! Japan" event, the focus was on volleyball. The spectators were treated to an exhibition match played by the women's team of Volleyball Club Kometa from Belgrade. Mrs. Zorica Bjelic and Mr. Dejan Jovanovic, FIVB International Referees, officiated the match. They will referee at the World Championships in Japan.
The highlight was when women's national team players appeared at the venue, accompanied by three men's national team members -- Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bojan Janic and Dragan Stankovic.
Mr. Tadashi Nagai, the Ambassador of Japan in Serbia and Montenegro, received a gift from Vesna Citakovic-Djurisic and Jelena Nikolic, a ball signed by all members of the national women's team.
After a photo session with volleyball players and spectators, a prize game was held. The contestants, including several youngsters, had to aim for a Toyota sign from the service line on the opposite side of the net, and prizes were balls and T-shirts.
There was also a trivia quiz for the visitors named "What do I know about Japan?" JT International provided the winner with a seven-day trip to Japan, staying in Tokyo and Kyoto.
As part of "YOKOSO! JAPAN", the tourism office of Japan in Belgrade and the Japanese Embassy in Serbia and Montenegro organised a cocktail party on Friday, May 19, in the Zodiac coffee bar.
Mr. Nagai greeted the SCG national teams and wished them the best of luck for the upcoming World Championships, adding that the Japanese fans would show their support for SCG. The cocktail party was attended by, among others, members of the women's national team, as well as Zarko Petrovic, a former national team player, and Goran Vujevic, a current national team member.
Tadashi Nagai is pictured with women's national team players Jelena Nikolic and Vesna Citakovic-Djurisic (right) at the "Yokoso! Japan" event in Belgrade. Nikolic played for Toray Arrows in Japan's V.League last season.
(NOVICA SARIC, PRESS ATTACHE OF THE VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO)
