Japan Week Brings Arts, Traditions, and Fun to Bellevue

College to Celebrate 10th Annual Japan Week

Hear the thundering boom of Taiko drums. Sip savory matcha at a tea ceremony. Try your hand at drawing manga, Japanese comics. Learn the art of making onigiri, delicious Japanese rice balls.

You’ll find shows, hands-on workshops, games, exhibits, and more at the 10th annual Japan Week festival, Oct. 5-10, at Bellevue College. Japan Week events showcase the arts, traditions, and history of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Activities for Bellevue College students pack the weekday schedule. Community members of all ages can join in a full day of events on Saturday, Oct. 10

“Families with kids really enjoy the Saturday activities,” said Marcos Perez, vice president of the Bellevue College Japanese Culture Exchange Club, which is organizing Japan Week. “Most spend a good chunk of the day. There are a lot of things to do.”

Fun for Students and Families – Oct. 10

At venues across campus, you can learn about the art of Japanese flower arrangement, sing karaoke, or practice calligraphy painting. A photo booth will invite you to don a Yukata, a summer kimono, and snap a picture.

Kids can scoop rubber ducks from the C Building fountain—and take one home. The activity is inspired by a traditional Japanese children’s game of scooping goldfish into a plastic bag to bring home.

Martial arts demonstrations will take center stage in the C Building. In the planetarium (located in the B Building), storytellers can share traditional tales under the stars.

The deep rhythms of Taiko drums will echo throughout Carlson Theater. The musical, “Little Red Riding Hood: Another Story,” will be performed there as well, entirely in Japanese.

At 3 PM on Saturday, the colorful Omikoshi and Yosakoi parade, a Japanese tradition, will wind through campus with joyful music and movement.

A troupe of children will lead the procession as they perform Yosakoi, a style of Japanese dance. Members of Canada’s Vancouver Mikoshi Sakurakai Society will carry an authentic mikoshi, a Japanese shrine. Kindergarteners from Bellevue’s Pikake School will follow with their own mikoshi.

Japan Week events “bring Japan to our campus for everyone to enjoy.” said Anne Matsumoto Stewart, Bellevue College professor emeritus. Stewart co-advises the Japanese Culture Exchange Club with Chie Sharp, assistant professor in Digital Media Arts.

Tribute to Japanese Anime

This year Japan Week honors historic milestones for popular anime franchises.

“It’s the 40th Anniversary of Super Mario Brothers and Dragon Ball Z,” explained Hengmeng Ly, president of the Japanese Culture Exchange Club, referring to the iconic Nintendo game and the TV animation series. “It’s also the 30th anniversary of Pokémon.”

Festival events will delight fans of Japanese anime. You can test your knowledge and compete for prizes at the Anime Trivia Contest. Draw and color at the Anime Cafe. Meet other collectors and trade Pokémon cards.

Kazuma Jinnouchi, an award-winning composer of musical scores for video games and film, will take to the podium at 12:30 PM on Saturday, Oct.10. Jinnouchi’s many credits include the score for the animated film “Suzume” and the video game “Halo 5: Guardians.” His lecture, “Behind the Music: Composing for Games, Film, and Anime,” shares his experiences as one of the industry’s leading talents.

Swaps and Shops

If shopping is your passion, hurry to the Saturday Flea Market and Japan Market at 10 AM, Oct. 10 in the R Building for the best selection, Perez advises.

The Flea Market offers interesting Japanese wares at low-ticket prices. Items are supplied by donors throughout the greater Seattle area. Higher value items can be found at the Japan Market.

Comic book lovers revel in the Manga Swap, a marketplace for manga books written in both Japanese and English. You can bring your own to trade or buy a book for $5.

Looking Back

Japan Week wouldn’t be complete without exploring the history of the nation and its people.

The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibit delivers a stirring reminder of the horrors of nuclear war. On loan from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan, the photo exhibit will be on display all week.

A presentation happening on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 10, called “Within the Silence,” revisits the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Through performance and archival film, it invites students to reflect on this dark chapter of American history.

Spreading Happiness Across Bellevue

Event organizers are grateful for the support of the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle. The office helps fund Japan Week. In addition, its officials will be on hand to discuss their work to educate the community about Japan.

Japan Week engages people throughout the Bellevue community. Among its 220 volunteer workers are not only Bellevue College students, but students from local high schools, community members, and volunteers’ friends and family members from across the Puget Sound region.

Not all volunteers and club members have Japanese ancestry, Perez noted. They hail from many ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

“We have a good time together,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of friends.”

Every volunteer gets a Japan Week T-shirt. This year’s shirt is emblazoned with sachi, a Japanese kanji character that means “happiness.”

Ly summed it up.

“We’re building a community where people can have fun.”

More Information

Find the full event schedule on the Japan Week website.