Japan Honours 130th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Visit to Japan

This year India celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of the Hindu religious teacher and monk, Narendranath Datta, widely recognized as Swami Vivekananda. On June 3, 2023, Japan celebrated the 130th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to the country. 

Swami Vivekananda was widely known for his Hindu philosophies and for spreading the message of the Vedas and Yoga to the Western World. He was born to a Bengali family in Calcutta. From an early age, he developed an interest in spirituality. During adulthood, he became a student of the Hindu mystic and spiritual leader, Ramakrishna. After his death, Vivekananda travelled to the United States to share his spiritual knowledge, hoping to improve the conditions of the Indians in British-dominated India. He soon became a popular figure in the US after his speech at the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago. 

In 1893, on his way to the World Congress of Religions, Swami Vivekananda visited Japan. This was an important landmark for both India and Japan which helped establish friendly relations between the two countries. He was thoroughly impressed by the discipline, educational laws, and cleanliness of the Japanese. 

To celebrate the 130th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to Japan, the Vedanta Society of Japan collaborated with the Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy in Tokyo. They held a cultural program, which was attended by many people from Japan, India and Bangladesh. The event was held at the Indian Embassy. The theme of the event was Swami Vivekananda’’s Concept of Yoga. The Indian Ambassador in Japan, Mr Sibi George, attended the event.