The Ponderosa Room became a Japanese summer festival where culture, food and performances took center stage last week.
Ryo Tsutsumi, vice president of the Japanese Association at Kearney, said that the festival was about celebrating Japanese traditions.
“We want people to enjoy the Japanese culture, music and food,” Tsutsumi said. “This is a big event for us.”
The Japanese Festival is an annual event organized by the Japanese Association at Kearney. The festival has taken place for 25 years. This year’s event featured cultural music, dance performances, Japanese food and activity booths. There was also a Japanese culture quiz that had over 160 participants. The performances at the event featured traditional Japanese clothing, dance and music.
A member of the Japanese Association at Kearney said that seeing the event come to life was a highlight of the festival for her.
“I think that being a part of it, setting it up and seeing it come out the way it did is probably the best part,” said Lessa Guikema, a sophomore psychology major. “I wasn’t expecting to do something like this. It was a fun experience for sure.”
Planning for the event started in September, and members of the organization had various roles during the festival. Some performed on the stage, playing instruments, singing or dancing. Others served food, acted as masters of ceremonies for the festival or helped set up and tear down the event.
A member who served as master of ceremonies for the event said that the process of organizing and practicing for the festival was difficult, but worth it.
“This process was a lot of hard work,” said Addy Moore, a sophomore social work major. “Everyone contributed so much and really put their all into this performance.”
There were hundreds of people gathered in the Nebraskan Student Union’s Ponderosa Room for the event, including students and faculty.
Moore said that the festival emphasized the contributions of international students at UNK.
“I think it’s super important for people to come and support our Japanese and international student population here and make them feel welcome, because they contribute so much to our school,” Moore said.
Students can find information about the Japanese Association at Kearney on LoperLinks. UNK also offers a Japanese minor for students interested in learning more about the language and culture.
Photos by Jenju Peters / Antelope Staff
