JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia Dec 6 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Residents in Johor were treated to a unique Japanese Music Festival headlined by AUN, an internationally acclaimed musical duo comprising twin brothers Ryohei Inoue and Kohei Inoue in an evening of music and culture.

The Japanese Music Festival was conceptualised by Daiwa House, a Fortune 500 Global company, as a platform to enhance cross-cultural understanding through a fun and entertaining event. With admission free for all, the evening featured various interesting activities including taiko (Japanese drums) performance by school students in Johor Bahru, mochi pounding and festive stalls which showcased Japanese culture.

Smells of Japanese delicacies and favourites permeated the air throughout the evening, and many visitors were seen thronging the Japanese food stalls for a taste of authentic Japan. Lighted "sakura trees" and lanterns illuminated the balmy evening, adding to the Japanese ambience.

The evening was also filled with a galore of activities ranging from cherry-blossom-like tecoma tree planting and Daruma Otoshi and Kendama, two classic Japanese folk toy games, to dressing up in yukatas. Visitors who participated in the activities had the opportunity to redeem novel Japanese gifts to bring home as a souvenir.

However, the highlight of the Daiwa House's Japanese Music Festival definitely belonged to the performance by AUN, Japan's Cultural Envoy in 2011. Born in Osaka, the Inoue brothers are renowned for their mastery of the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese lute), wadaiko (Japanese drum), and shinobue flute.

In AUN's honour roll call are some 1,300 performances in 40 countries including in many prestigious halls and World Heritage Sites such as Mont Saint-Michel in France, as well as performing in the "ONE ASIA" joint concert with musicians from other Asian countries including Malaysia since 2013. Visitors of the Japanese Music Festival were enthralled by their mesmerising deftness on the shamisen and wadaiko to celebrate the preview of the show unit of Sakura Residence by Daiwa House.

Sakura Residence is a RM230 million GDV, inaugural project by Daiwa House in Malaysia that is being co-developed with Sunway Iskandar, who have found the Daiwa technology to be superb and able to meet the high requirements of discerning property owners. Its resident-friendly design which emphasises comfort and functionality is built on Japanese technology that prioritises optimisation and quality control. In Japan and 14 other countries, every home built by Daiwa House is famed for giving home owners a degree of confidence and surety of the outcome.

Daiwa House Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Mr. Daisuke Usugi said, "Daiwa House believes in co-creating value for individuals, communities, and people's lifestyles. Through the performance by AUN and presentation of Japanese Music Festival, we would like to offer Malaysians an event that they can enjoy and participate in, and in the process, enrich their experience. At the same time, we open the Sakura Residence showhouse for visitors to the Japanese Music Festival for them to explore and have a firsthand experience of a well-built, premium pre-fabricated home. We received overwhelming support by the locals even though this was our first event for Daiwa House and we hope to have more engaging activities in the future."

The Japanese Music Festival took place on 4 December 2016 at Sakura Residence Gallery in Sunway Iskandar and was attended by approximately 300 visitors who were seen enjoying the wholesome activities of the evening.

More information on Sakura Residence is available at WWW.SAKURARESIDENCE.COM.MY

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