Symposium „Bohemistika 35“ is a joint event of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo, the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul, the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei and CzechTourism Japan and Taiwan, with support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

On June 19, 2026, an opening ceremony took place at the representative premises of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo. H. E. Mr. Martin Klučar welcomed guests and in his opening speech “expressed thanks to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, namely TUFS Presidents for its continuous support of Czech Studies”. Further, he emphasized that “Czech Studies are introducing for the last 35 years Czech culture and educating generations of Japan-based specialists in Czech language and Czech affairs who now contribute to Czech-Japanese relations in academia, translation, culture, diplomacy business and personal networks.”.

The speech of Ambassador was followed by an opening remarks from Mr. Nobuo Haruna, President of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, in which he recalled the legacy of professor Eiichi Chino, the founder of the Department of Czech Studies at TUFS, and highlighted a significant role of Czech language for further strengthen academic and cultural ties between Japan and the Czech Republic.

Mr. Jiří Krátký, Special Envoy for Czechs Living Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, greeted guests via video message, in which he highlighted the symbolism that “while in Europe we – at Frankfurt Book Fair – will open new horizons through literature, in the East Asia we are celebrating traditions that have been successfully building bridges for three and a half decades”.

At the opening event, the guests enjoyed the traditional Czech cuisine, the Czech Republic knowledge Quiz prepared by CzechTourism and a student guitar performance, which also included a song by Karel Kryl in Czech!

In the following days, June 20 and 21, 2026, symposium proceeded at the premises of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies with the expert sessions, such as literature, linguistics and history. Among the lecturers were for example, Professor Kenichi Abe, a Japanese scholar of Czech studies and laureate of the Premium Bohemica 2025 award, and Professor Kumiko Kanazashi, the former head of the Department of Czech Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

Symposium “Bohemistika 35” was attended by representatives of Departments of Czech Studies from other East Asia universities, Professor Melissa Shi-hui Lin from National Chengchi University in Tchaj-pej and professor emeritus Kiyuchin Kim from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, together with their students and alumni. The Department of Czech Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies was represented by Professor Taku Shinohara and Professor Markéta Bruna Gebhartová.

Thanks to professors and students of the Departments of Czech Studies from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, the experiences with teaching and learning Czech could be shared in a broader context. All the students actively participated in this discussion as well! The exchange of view was very enriching. The lectures were shared with a wider audience also on-line.

At the end of symposium, an informal alumni meeting was held after 35 years which brought about unexpected encounters and renewed connections. But was it nice that the working language was mostly Czech!