JapanFest at George Washington University
All Images by SJA
On April 4th, SJA was invited to hold a booth at the annual JapanFest, a Japanese cultural event, hosted by the Japanese Cultural Association at George Washington University.
The event was a feast for the senses, with the food booths at the event offering a variety of traditional staples, including takoyaki (octopus batter balls), onigiri, kakigouri (shaved ice), and bento assortments.
Beyond the food, guests enjoyed a variety of cultural attractions, from testing their skills at the SJA Kendama booth and the strategy-heavy board game Go, to laughing along to a manzai comedy act. A delicate Okoto performance enriched the traditional Japanese atmosphere at the event. Contrary to the tranquil vibe the okoto performance created, the high-energy dances from the Okinawa Society featuring powerful taiko drumming, unique singing calls, and familiar anime music invigorated the attendees.
The event had an impressive turnout of people attending and hosting booths. It was able to gather individuals from many different organizations and companies, such as Tokiya Japan, Japanese Student Association, and the Kumi-Daiko Organization at George Mason University.
Overall, the event was a major success for SJA! We loved to see so many people stop by our booth to try their hand at kendama or chat with us about our mission, language learning opportunities, and education at Japanese universities. It was inspiring to be able to connect with the attendees who had great curiosity and shared our passion, many of whom joined our mailing list for our monthly newsletters and even signed up to volunteer at our booth at the Sakura Matsuri in D.C. this April! Sharing these meaningful moments and enjoying the performances together made it all seem very rewarding and special to be at the event. For SJA, it was a great opportunity to grow its presence and foster strong bonds within the DMV community
