A TASTE of Japanese life and culture is on offer to local people when a college campus opens its doors to the public for the only day a year.

Teikyo University in Durham has been established for almost 30 years, providing a base in the UK for Japanese students to improve English language skills and gain a feeling for British culture.

Twice a year groups of 30 students from the university, in the Japanese capital Tokyo, spend six months based at the site, on the Durham University campus.

But each October they welcome local people to their premises, The Lafcadio Hearn Cultural Centre, near to Durham University’s Oriental Museum, for a Japanese Festival.

Saturday’s events will give a taste of Japanese culture and daily life, featuring everything from chopsticks to calligraphy, traditional folk dance and music, plus martial arts, demonstrated by guest groups, Durham Aikido and Shodu Ryu Club.

Visitors can also take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, sample yakisoba, a noodle stir-fry dish, and try on a yukata, a kimono-type garment.

The centre, on Mill Hill Lane, off South Road, is open from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free, but donations can be made, for distribution among local charities.

Further information is available via teikyo.university@durham.ac.uk, or by ringing 0191-334 5122.