MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/ The Bolshoi Theater will open the Russian Seasons festival in Japan this spring, its General Director Vladimir Urin told TASS.

"It is an honor for the Bolshoi Theater to open the Russian Seasons in Japan," Urin stated, emphasizing that there are very few groups in the world that have earned the right to open such a prestigious festival.

"And the Bolshoi Ballet is undoubtedly, one of them", the general director said.

The Bolshoi Ballet first performed in Japan in 1957, exactly 60 years ago. Since then, according to Urin, the group has been there 21 times.

The upcoming tour scheduled for May 31 through June 19 and will cover five Japanese cities: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Otsu, Nagoya and Osaka.

"Of course, Swan Lake will open the tour. It is the trademark of the Russian Ballet that every Japanese citizen must see...that is what they think in the Land of the Rising Sun," said Urin, explaining that the theater always takes its best shows to Japan and this year it is Giselle (directed by Yury Grigorovich) and the Flames of Paris (directed by Alexey Ratmansky) in addition to Swan Lake.

"The Bolshoi Theater is loved in Japan. There is a unique audience there, which greets our performances with a special warmth, so it is a great pleasure to perform for them," he concluded.