Students, faculty and families navigated the vibrant environment and cultural activities through different traditional periods for the 17th-annual Japan Day at Sacramento State on April 21.
Hosted by Sac State’s Japanese Program and the Japan Club the purpose of the event was to celebrate Japanese language and culture by giving attendees a glimpse of what Japan and its culture are like through live performances, along with many hands-on activities.
The theme for this year’s Japan Day was “Omotenashi” which stands for Japanese hospitality.
Kazue Masuyama, the faculty adviser to the Japan Club, spoke about her understanding of what “Omotenashi” meant to her.
“You try to read the air and offer hospitality without getting anything back, so it’s a genuine interaction,” Masuyama said.
Masuyama explained the overall meaning of “Omotenashi” by exploring the philosophy behind Japanese culture.
“Zen Buddhism teaches others to be content day-by-day, being happy, helping others and then being a part of nature,” Masuyama said.
Attendees were given the opportunity to explore Japanese culture through different hands-on activities like calligraphy, origami, drawing, board games and Japanese language learning.
Another popular activity was using chopsticks. The activity involved using wood, plastic and metal chopsticks while picking up marbles, beans and rice grains and putting them in a glass jar.
Abudallah Mark Mulumbam, second-year history major and member of the Anime & Manga Society, talked about his motivation to attend the cultural celebration.
“I wanted to know more about Japan, and not just through video games or anime but by actively learning through other people and a historical lens,” Mulumbam said.
During the day, there were distinct performances ranging from a samurai demonstration to traditional Kagura and Taiko dances. There was even a shouting contest where participants competed to see who could yell the loudest by using Japanese words and phrases. In Japan, annual shouting contests are the norm which is why they held one for all attendees to join.
Another cultural performance that was popular was the open mic act which allowed volunteers to sing Japanese songs. One open mic participant sang a hit Japanese city pop song called “Mayonaka no Door/Stay with Me” by Miki Matsubara.
Timothy Kouklis, fourth-year English major, talked about the significance of having Japan Day hosted at Sac State.
“I think it’s a good way to expose people that aren’t familiar with Japan to its culture,” Kouklis said. “It helps broaden people’s view of the world.”
As the festivities went on in the library quad, there was a special Koyasan Taiko performance that drummed its way through the event’s atmosphere. The Taiko drumming was performed by a local group called the Koyasan Spirit of Children Taiko.
The group performed a variety of songs that represented different aspects of Japanese culture like religious ceremonies and theatrical accompaniment. Attendants from all around the quad tuned in as the group performed perfectly in sync and even featured an individual freestyle form of drumming by nearly every member of the group.
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Masuyama said that students and organizations that volunteered for Japan Day showcased the true essence of what “Omotenashi” means through their hard work of sharing Japanese culture with all attendees present.
She also talked about the significance of Japan Day in relation to cultural representation.
“I think by doing things together,” Masuyama said. “I think we kind of understand each other better.”
Kyle Palado, third-year kinesiology major and member of the Japan Club, talked about how people can learn more about Japanese culture.
“Be open to everything,” Palado said. “There are so many things that might seem unusual, but I think once you’ve kind of sensitized yourself to it, you’ll realize that there’s a lot of opportunities that you can take to learn Japanese culture.”
