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Japan Night brings message of peace
By Regina Eckes
Published:
Monday, March 24, 2003
Media Credit: scott theisen
Saya Katayama performs a Japanese dance at Japan Night 2003. The celebration of Japanese culture took place Friday night in the Atwood Ballroom.
Media Credit: scott theisen
Hiroyuki Kano and Takashi Kashiwagi perform during part of the Japanese comedy sketch at Japan Night 2003.
Despite the chaos that erupted this past week internationally, SCSU had something to celebrate. Japan Night was held Friday in the Atwood Ballroom and presented the theme of past, present and future.
Students, faculty and community members packed the ballroom, bustling between different booths that displayed aspects of Japanese culture. One of the most popular attractions was calligraphy. For no charge, attendees could have their name or favorite word written out in the beautiful Japanese language.
A little after 6 p.m., the lights went out and candles on the dinner tables glowed even brighter as the presentations began. Kazuhiro Machino, president of the Japan Club, started the evening with a movie featuring highlights of Japanese culture from the past and the present. Then the Japanese National Anthem was sung followed by speakers.
The first group to perform was also the last and proved to be one of the highlights of the program. SCSU's Arashi Taiko Club brought classical Japanese drum to the audience. The groups in sync movements and precise tempo mesmerized people of all ages and backgrounds. The audience exploded with applause and cheers after each powerful performance.
Jonathan Hansen, sophomore, has been involved in the Arashi Taiko Club since his freshman year. He first discovered Japanese drumming in high school and knew that if SCSU had a club for it, he would join. Even from the stage he was able to notice how much the audience enjoyed their show.
"Judging by the reaction the audience had, we did very well," Hansen said.
Being the only person in the group to speak English as a first language, Hansen has had a different experience than others and has observed many things about Japanese people.
"Together they speak Japanese but they don't mind repeating it in English for me. It's very educational to know that Japanese people are just like us. We're not that different," said Hansen.
Among the other performances were Japanese dance, swordsmanship, a comedy segment and of course karate. Watching a performer break though wood blocks with a swift kick or punch is something not seen very often, but when it is, the audience reacts strongly.
"The karate and sword fighting are always very impressive to watch; it was very well done," Hansen said.
A performance that received numerous laughs was the cartoon show where different characters fought each other to become the champion. It started simply with a representation of Japan fighting against a representation of America: none other than Spiderman. Soon Godzilla made a cameo and took both contestants out of the game. But no contest would be complete without SCSU's own representative, the Husky. Blizzard strolled out and beat up on Godzilla, making him the final champion. Afterwards, all contestants were able to revive their strength and take a final bow together.
The evening concluded with a Japanese buffet and the Arashi Taiko Club performing once again. With all of the planning and organization leading up to Japan Night, the evening was extremely entertaining, cultural and had a special atmosphere.
"The Japan Club is happy to celebrate our culture with other cultures," Machino said. "Japan Night consisted of a huge amount of help by a huge number of people. It took nearly half a year to plan."
One of the concerns organizers had this week was how people would respond to Japan Night with the start of the war. Coordinators did not want to overshadow or ignore what was happening in the world.
As people walked through the ballroom doors they were handed tiny packets that contained two sunflower seeds. Also, a banner was shown above the stage that was painted with sunflowers and a moon. In Japan, sunflowers stand for peace.
There were also displays of peace on boards and posters throughout the room and before the program started, a moment of silence was held to pray for U.S. troops.
Japan Night was also fitting because it offered a chance to get away from the television set and learn about another culture. Many people agreed that being educated on how other cultures operate is a key concept to establishing peace.
"Events like these truly promote global understanding," said Darlene Grega from the Center for International Students. Machino also felt that the event was appropriate.
"We were a little afraid of doing Japan Night with the war starting, but the theme was past, present and future. It gave us something to celebrate."
When all of the excitement of the night had died down and people began to leave the ballroom, one had a sense that everyone went away from the evening with more respect and awareness of Japanese culture. People were affected in different ways, but there was something for everyone that stood out and grabbed their attention.
Julie Condon, ESL coordinator, taught in Japan for two years and was deeply affected by the experience.
"Though I do not look Japanese on the outside, a part of me will always be Japanese on the inside."
And for all of the attendants of Japan Night, a part of the Japanese culture will always be with them as well.
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