From the Embassy, Ambassador and Chargé d'affaires Janez Premože welcomed the visitors and spoke about the importance of World Bee Day. Miha Grudnik then presented interesting facts about Slovenia and informed the audience about our rich beekeeping tradition and the efforts of the Slovenian government in favour of beekeepers and beekeeping.

Other exhibitors at the festival included Urban beekeepers NPO Ginza Honeybee Project, cosmetics company Guerlain, Slovenian honey importer Fujio Project and Seeds of Virtue, a Japanese bee revitalisation company. All the participants gave presentations on their activities on beekeeping, education of children and women beekeepers, apiculture and environmentalism, and various activities took place at their stands, such as honey tasting, beehive demonstrations and beeswax candle making.

At the Embassy stand, visitors could taste Slovenian honey, Piran salt, Slovenian pumpkin and olive oil and Slovenian wine. Clea Kezele, a Slovenian living and working in Japan, presented interesting facts about Slovenia while dressed in the Slovene national costume. At our creative stall, both children and adults could try their hand at painting on beehive panels, while they could learn some Slovenian phrases from Vesna Bukovec, a Slovenian language lecturer at the University of Tokyo, at the stall on the Slovene language.

The festival was attended by over 200 people of all ages. After receiving very good feedback from the co-organisers, exhibitors and visitors, the Embassy will aim to organise a similar open festival on bee diplomacy in 2023.