Japanese Culture welcomed in New Abbey
Japan-Scotland Community Cultural Festival August 22–24th 2025
From the 22nd to August 24th the Japan-Scotland Community Cultural Festival 2025, organised by the JET Programme Alumni Association Scotland (JET AA Scotland) returned to Dumfries and Galloway. The festival has grown, and for 2025, expanded into the conservation village of New Abbey, benefitting the local community and providing a broad cultural experience for all involved. Thanks to the new link footpath linking Shambellie with New Abbey, visitors could fill the day with a true cultural and community experience, enjoying activities in the Village Hall and Shambellie House, taking in the picturesque village and woodland walks and visiting Sweetheart Abbey and the Cornmill, free thanks to a collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland.
The festival started gently on Friday 22nd, with volunteers getting to know each other, setting up and welcoming our first festival goers. Local people enjoyed watching the spectacle of a Japanese Festival develop in their village and a lovely evening gathering on the lawn at Shambellie House saw the sharing of cultures and the making of friendships. Volunteers then set off for local accommodation, some with local families, to rest and prepare for the full two days ahead!
Event Gathering and Opening Ceremony
At the official opening ceremony on August 23rd, Consul General Katsutoshi Takeda and Dumfries and Galloway Deputy Lieutenant, Major Charles Milroy TD VR gave greetings, setting the tone with messages of collaboration, cultural exchange, welcome and hope.
A bagpipe performance to by Gregor of Grierson Pipers marked the joining of cultures and then the assembled volunteers headed off to their stations to begin two full days of fun, learning and enjoyment.
The success of this event was once again thanks to the willingness of an amazing group of over 80 volunteers from different cultures, age groups and backgrounds, all working together before, during and after the event to make it the fantastic experience it was. A brilliant community spirit has grown around this festival, people willingly giving time and sharing experience for the benefit of others. Supported and facilitated by partnership working between Zeljka, Scotland Chair for Jet AA and Melanie, Manager at Shambellie House this is becoming an event to be marked in the calendars. Brining New Abbey Community and Historic Environment Scotland on board has cemented this as a collaboration which people, partners and supporters are keen to be part of.
Over three days volunteers offered a huge variety of activities. Whether they were helping people fold origami cranes for peace, giving interesting talks, leading dancing, piping, drumming or providing music and entertainment there truly was something for everyone. Taster workshops were on offer on quilting, sashiko, bonsai and calligraphy and people enthusiastically shared the stories and traditions of our two cultures. This, combined with all the support in the background from people driving the minibus, serving food and refreshments, managing parking, meeting, greeting and taking tickets and of course all the little things behind the scenes! The squad of volunteers worked tirelessly to to keep the festival running smoothly, and made a truly community and cultural experience come to life in the heart of rural Dumfries and Galloway.
What was happening?
Talks and Insights:
Visitors enjoyed a diverse programme of talks covering Japanese literature, theatre, whisky and historical links between Japan and Scotland, as well as hearing about the local heritage of Shambellie House from John Stewart. High quality speakers included Dr Helen Parker, Dr Saeko Yazaki, Mari Itoh and Dr Geoff Goolnik, with sessions on Isabella Bird, Richard Brunton, Love and Whisky and sustainability in Japanese culinary traditions.
Performances and Demonstrations:
The festival featured traditional Japanese folk dancing, shamisen music. Scottish storytelling with the Bruce’s Heritage Trust and bagpipe performances added a local flavour, while sumo wrestling, taiko drumming, Showa-era pop songs and cosplay contests brought excitement and fun.
A special highlight was the impromptu combination of the Scottish bagpipes and the Japanese taiko drums! Listen here.
Hands-On Cultural Activities:
Guests took part in calligraphy, bonsai care, sashiko stitching, Scottish quilting as well as manga drawing and origami folding for peace. Over a thousand cranes were folded which will become a future art installation at Shambellie House, leaving a legacy of hope and peace after this special festival.
Festival goers were helped with Yukata dressing and then portrait photography offered by our Photographers of |Shambellei House will provide a suitable record of a day well spent!
Exhibitions and Community Integration:
Displays of kimonos, local paintings, Japanese puppetry and photography were showcased alongside environmental art and history of the local area. Free entry to Sweetheart Abbey and Cornmill, guided village heritage walks and storytelling sessions helped integrate the local community into the celebration and allowed volunteers and visitors to learn about this very special conservation village.
Food and Hospitality:
Authentic Japanese cuisine from Sushi City in Dumfries was really popular and highly rated and the green tea tastings provided an authentic Japanese experience. The normal refreshments at Shambellie House kept guests nourished throughout the weekend.
We believe this festival and the people involved exemplify what is good in the world and hope our example and message of hope, peace and understanding has spread to the hundreds of people who attended over the three days. It was joyful celebration of friendship, learning, and cultural appreciation — a rare opportunity for our rural community to engage deeply with Japanese traditions.
Celebrating Creativity and Sustainability at the Festival
This year’s festival proudly embraced sustainability across all aspects of its programming. Visitors and participants were encouraged to car-share and use public transport, while recycling and reuse were central to the event’s operations. Origami workshops used repurposed magazines and leftover materials from previous festivals and calligraphy supplies were reused from earlier events. Traditional crafts like sashiko and quilting showcased the beauty of recycling through textile art.
Festival signage and programs were printed on scrap and double-sided paper and even used pencils found new life in the manga contest. Sushi City restaurant contributed by using recyclable packaging, reinforcing the event’s eco-conscious ethos.
Sustainability also featured prominently in the talks, with guest speakers exploring mindful Japanese culinary traditions and the role of nature in literature. A standout moment was the manga presentation, the most attended session of the festival, with over ten children participating in the contest. Prizes included Cass Art vouchers and original Uniqlo t-shirts from Japan, with the youngest winner just five years old!
Cosplay participants impressed with their handmade costumes, reflecting the festival’s creative spirit and connecting with Shambellie House’s legacy as a costume museum.
Who knows ….this Japanese Scottish connection here at Shambellie House might just take root and grow into something even bigger.
One of our Photographers of Shambellie House founded “Confluence the World”. Maybe we have opened a new chapter in teh Confluence story…….
“Through Confluence we are creating new stories, crossing cultures and constructing influence, breaking down barriers and shining a light on shared elements of our cultural heritage.”
— Laura Hudson Mackay, Confluence Founder
Once again the Japanese Summer Festival at Shambellie House, organised by JETAA Scotland, was more than festivities; it was a meaningful celebration of cultural heritage, community and international friendship.
Thank you to sponsors and funders who helped make this possible:
Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh, The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and The Japan Foundation offered funding and support to JetAA for this project.
Local Firm Mylar, New Abbey Village Hall, Historic Environment Scotland and Kingan’s Sawmill supported Shambellie House to host the event.
Our thanks go to the funders, local sponsors and supporters, local families who hosted JetAA volunteers and especially to each and every volunteer who made this all happen.
ありがとう
