The Japanese Student Association hosted Sakura, a traditional festival dedicated to the blooming cherry blossoms in Japan this time of year, for the 11th consecutive year in a packed Baker University Center Ballroom on Sunday.
The event marked the first time the event was celebrated indoors for OU’s Japanese Student Association, as snow piled up outside. Still, a cherry tree was displayed on the projector in between performances.
The presenters spoke English, but the de facto language of the day was Japanese, as confirmed by the happy chatter that filled the room when any of the 13 planned events was concluded.
“I know being inside is different,” said Yuki Takeguchi, a student who participated in Nihon-Buyo, a traditional Japanese dance. “But today has been really fun. It reminds me of celebrating back home. My favorite part today was the Judo, which was exciting to watch.”
The Japanese band and music, as well as the skit, were lighthearted and fun. However, events including The Nihon-Buyu, which was performed by women with fans wearing kimonos, the martial arts events, or Taiko (traditional Japanese drums) were all preformed with serious discipline.
“The dances were really cute,” said Yashashree Jadhav, an international student attending the event. “But the martial arts exhibitions and the drums were really intense and awesome to see.”
Jadhav, the president of The Indian Student Association, was one of many international students there.
“I heard about Sakura from my friends in JSA and from other international students,” Jadhav said. “I’ve heard about it a lot, and I’m glad I finally came this year.”
Not everyone at the festival was Japanese or from a foreign country, though; there were plenty of interested American students in attendance, including Sam Ciraci, a sophomore studying international business who introduced each event to the crowd.
“I have a lot of Japanese friends, and I’ve watched them prepare for Sakura for a while now,” Ciraci said. “They really put a lot of work into it, and it’s nice to see it all come together.”
de155710@ohiou.edu
