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Soran Bushi, also known as the fisherman dance, performed by Ohio University and Chubu University students at the Sakura Festival on April 16, 2017. (FILE)

Sakura Festival brings Japanese culture to Athens

After five years of participating in the Ohio University Japanese Language and Culture Association’s annual Sakura Festival, Ali Smith is happy this year was her last one.

“It’s a relief, definitely. I’ve had a lot of fun doing all of this,” Smith, vice president of JLCA, said.

JLCA hosted its 13th Sakura Festival on Sunday, celebrating the cherry blossoms blooming along the Hocking River. OU received the trees from Chubu University in Japan in 1979, according to a university news release.

Chris Thompson, chair of the linguistics department, gave a speech highlighting OU’s relationship with Japan and the various study abroad opportunities available. Thompson said former OU President Vernon Alden visited Japan at least 50 times and has connections with the imperial family. 

The festival began with a Taiko performance from Hiuchi Taiko, a Japanese drum group from Columbus. The group began in 2006 after an “explosion of interest” in Taiko, Smith said.

OU and Chubu University students performed Shodo, a form of Japanese calligraphy, accompanied by a musical performance. Out of the three Japanese writing systems, Kanji was displayed for the audience, Zach Delin, program director for JLCA, said.

OU’s Kendo Club demonstrated various styles of “hits” to the audience, including a “big men,” which is a hit where the martial artist uses bigger motions to strike, Addy Kruse, Kendo Club president, said.

Smith said JCLA starts preparing for the Sakura Festival as early as Fall Semester. When students from Chubu University arrive, which varies every year, members hope to rehearse with them for at least two weeks. 

“Congratulations to the Japanese Language and Culture Association for taking over this important and actually labor-intensive job,” Thompson said.

JCLA members perform a skit based on a traditional Japanese folktale every year, Smith said. This year, they decided on “The Jelly Fish and the Monkey,” which tells the story of how a jellyfish that originally looked like a turtle came to be. 

Chubu University students quizzed the audience with various questions about Japan, including what certain characters meant and what the tallest mountain in Japan was. Audience members received their choice of prize for correctly answering a question.

Andrea Dudding, a 2015 OU alumna who studied social work, said going to the festival was very informational as she didn’t know what it was about before she arrived. She said she learned about the culture of Japan that OU students wouldn’t learn about unless they were part of those organizations.

“It’s been interesting to learn and they’ve been really hospitable,” Dudding said.

@juIaphant

je827416@ohio.edu 

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