A large-scale festival to celebrate cultural exchanges between Japan and South Korea was held in Seoul on Sunday.

The 20th event aimed at deepening friendship between the two countries attracted young South Koreans who are interested in Japanese culture.

Visitors were shown how to wear summer kimono called yukata. They also enjoyed traditional Japanese culture, such as the tea ceremony and flower arrangement.

Japanese and South Korean singers and music groups gave performances, and children from Japan and South Korea sang together.

A 21-year-old South Korean woman said she had really been looking forward to the event, and it was everything that she had expected.

She said she became interested in Japan after watching Japanese anime, and she hopes the two countries will have a positive influence on each other.

A 40-year-old Japanese man who visited with his 4-year-old daughter said he reconfirmed the importance of young people in both countries getting along with each other through cultural exchanges.