Brussels flower carpet pays homage to Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’

BRUSSELS – A flower carpet event inspired by Katsushika Hokusai’s 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa' (popularly known as 'The Great Wave') took place in Brussels from Thursday to Sunday. This year’s event, held on the Grand-Place—a UNESCO World Heritage site—covered with 750,000 dahlias arranged in the design of Hokusai’s masterpiece. The flower carpet, measuring 70 meters long and 24 meters wide, is titled 'Neo Hokusai,' a modern reinterpretation by Japanese artist Hiro Sugiyama and others. Every evening, a sound and light show illuminates the floral depiction. The biennial event, attracting around 200,000 visitors, aims to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Japan-Belgium diplomatic relations and promote friendship between the two nations.