BRUSSELS ¨C A popular flower carpet event featuring a design inspired by an iconic work of renowned traditional Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print artist Katsushika Hokusai kicked off in Brussels on Thursday to mark the 160th anniversary of Japan-Belgium diplomatic relations.
At this year¡¯s event, held through Sunday, the Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Belgian capital, was covered with some 750,000 dahlias arranged in the design of Hokusai¡¯s ¡°Under the Wave off Kanagawa,¡± popularly known as ¡°The Great Wave.¡±
Measuring 70 meters long and 24 meters wide, the flower carpet showcases a design by Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama and others called ¡°Neo Hokusai,¡± a modern reinterpretation of Hokusai¡¯s masterpiece from the Edo period (1603-1867).
Every evening during the event, visitors can enjoy a sound and light show, which casts a dreamy glow over Hokusai¡¯s Great Wave rendered in colorful flowers.
The biennial summer event in Brussels attracts around 200,000 people from all over the world. This year¡¯s event, therefore, is expected to serve as an opportunity to highlight the friendship between Japan and Belgium to the world.
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