The Japanese translator of Persian children’s books, Kiko Aiko, has accompanied a group of trainers from Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) in a trip by bookmobile to learn more about the cultural activities of the organization.
The bookmobile went to Esmaeil Gerayeli Primary School in Khuzankola, a village located about 60 kilometers northwest of Tehran, on Sunday, the IIDCYA announced on Tuesday.
A number of IIDCYA staff members also accompanied Kiko during the trip, running a variety of cultural programs, including storytelling, poem reciting, games, reading and origami, for over 90 schoolchildren.
“Since I want to translate more books from Persian literature for Japanese children and to introduce Iranian culture to them, I felt I needed to raise my knowledge of the training programs and cultural activities in Iran,” said Kiko who has studied Iranology and translated numerous Persian children’s book into Japanese.
Fifteen years ago, she paid a visit to the Tehran International Book Fair where she was introduced to the IIDCYA. She translated a large collection of IIDCYA books, which were put on view during over 50 exhibitions across Japan
“Today’s trip gave me some real insight into the cultural activities the IIDCYA is performing for village children,” Kiko said.
“I was impressed by the reading programs carried out by the IIDCYA trainers, and the children’s desire for knowledge was also so amazing,” she added.
She also noted that Japanese people view Iran as the land of poetry and literature and said, “However, they feel that the Persian language is hard to learn.”
“Perhaps, this view has its root in the abundance of fiction, metaphor and equivocation in Persian literature,” she stated.
Kiko also praised the IIDCYA books for their rich illustrations.
Tehrantimes