On the 25th of March 2026, an exhibition, dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Japanese Studies program at Sofia University, was opened at the Central University Library. The exhibition features selected publications by faculty members of the Department of Japanese Studies in both Bulgarian and Japanese, as well as research papers and translations by current students and graduates of the program. The history of the department, from its founding to the present day, is presented through numerous photographs and documents.
Assoc. Prof. Bilyana Yavrukova, Director of the University Library, welcomed the guests who attended the opening, and highlighted the historical milestones that mark the Bulgarian readers’ engagement with the Japanese language and culture to date as part of her speech.
Prof. Gergana Petkova – Dean of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, a graduate of the Department of Japanese Studies and a member of its faculty – thanked the exhibition organizers and, drawing on the symbolism of the Feast of the Annunciation, emphasized the reception of Japanese literature in Bulgaria. In her speech, Prof. Petkova highlighted the contributions of the individuals, whose names appear on the covers of the exhibited publications — authors, translators and professors — and encouraged the students and future colleagues to do even more to bring the Japanese culture closer to every Bulgarian. “Woven into the fabric of the humanities is the mission of humanitarianism to uphold the highest human values and to build bridges between nations, between cultures, and between the past and the future.”
The head of the Department of Japanese Studies, Assoc. Prof. Vyara Nikolova, presented the concept behind the exhibition and shared the challenge of presenting visitors with only a small selection out of all the publications on the subject. Assoc. Prof. Nikolova highlighted the stages in the process of Japanese literature’s introduction to Bulgaria and expressed her hope for continued collaboration between generations of translators and lecturers.
The exhibition “Japan’s Path to the Bulgarian Reader” can be visited until the 20th of April during the Central University Library’s working hours.