The office is buzzing with activity as sophomore Sakara Nakamura puts final touches to this year’s Japan Night. After almost three months of preparation, Nakamura and other members of the Japanese Student Organization are ready to bring the Land of the Rising Sun to the University on Saturday in the EMU Ballroom.
Japan Night starts at 5:30 p.m. and costs $6 for students and $7 for the general public. Although the event is steadily nearing, Nakamura is seemingly calm.
“We like to reach out to people on campus and outside the campus, let them know we are here, let them know Japanese culture and people,” said Nakamura, JSO’s co-president.
But this year, the traditional kimonos will stay in the closet as JSO paints a picture of modern Japan. Nakamura, who is from Yokohama, a large city close to Tokyo, says Japan is constantly evolving with new technologies,
fashions and social trends.
“We wanted to show modern Japan, because it’s a lot different and people don’t know much about it,” said Nakamura, who feels her nation still has a unique culture. “Japan’s not all about temples or shrines.”
For Nakamura, planning for the event has been fulfilling because of the relationships she is building. She said she is happy that among the club’s members, about half are not Japanese.
“It’s a good experience for them and for us,” Nakamura said.
In fact, this year’s stage show director is pre-journalism major Daniel Asenlund from Sweden. Asenlund said he heard about JSO while taking Japanese 101 and decided to join. He is directing a play for the Japan Night stage show about a British aristocrat, a Viking and Chinese chef who, through a scientific experiment gone wrong, find themselves in modern Japan.
“I needed to consult many Japanese people to get it right and present Japanese culture, because that’s what Japan Night is all about,” Asenlund said just before a rehearsal Wednesday. He said he wants the play to be memorable.
“I’ve seen the image in my mind of the finished product from the beginning,” Asenlund said.
Nakamura said it was interesting to work with Asenlund because he did not always understand Japanese humor or jokes.
She said the event also helps her to reflect on the Japanese spirit of cooperation.
“It’s part of a Japanese thing to organize festivals,” she said. “Some people miss that. I think it’s a good opportunity for people to come together.”
This year’s event promises to be different with some of the latest Japanese cultural trends on display. Unlike previous years, no sushi will be served, according to Nakamura.
“Sushi, here, people eat it even everyday,” she says. “But in Japan, it’s really special food, for special occasions.”
Instead, Nakamura said there will be a drink bar, with common Japanese bar-style food including delicacies like koroke, fried mash potato; yakitori, a type of barbecued chicken; and green tea ice cream. The adventurous will also get a chance to play a Japanese drinking game.
Other special features include the stage show, with parodies of Japanese TV shows and music. A group will also dance the parapara, a popular dance involving mainly the movement of the arms. Reminiscent of large cities such as Tokyo, JSO also plans to have street musicians and a “Comic Cafe,” where in Japan people pay to go and read comics. Attendees can also wander through a haunted house or visit a calligraphy booth.
After last year’s Japan Night, Nakamura said she realized how preparing for the event had helped her to nurture friendships and become closer to her peers.
JSO’s other co-president and environmental science major Myra Kim shares the same sentiments.
“I had such a great experience planning last year that I wanted to make sure other students have the same opportunity,” Kim said.
Kim and Nakamura said the event allows them to reach out to the wider community, making them aware they have Japanese people and culture in their midst.
“I think it’s part of the responsibility of international students to do that,” Nakamura said. She hopes stronger ties will arise among students from all backgrounds.
“It doesn’t really matter who you are or where you are from; we can enjoy together and teach each other,” Nakamura said.