Bellevue College opens its 10th annual Japan Week to the public Saturday, Oct. 10, with free admission and dozens of activities across campus.
The festival runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the college's main campus, 3000 Landerholm Circle SE. Parking is free in the BC Garage; other campus lots charge $3.
The BC Japanese Culture Exchange Club organizes the week, which began Monday, Oct. 5, with student-focused programming. Saturday's public festival is the main event, and the official schedule lists activities spread across multiple buildings.
Taiko, a musical and a parade
Three taiko groups perform in Carlson Theater from noon to 2:10 p.m.: Okinawan Kenjin Kai Chijinshuu of WA State, Seattle Kokon Taiko and The School of Taiko. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
At 3 p.m., an Omikoshi and Yosakoi Parade winds between the C Building water fountain and Carlson Theater. Children lead the procession with a Yosakoi dance directed by Mai Yuasa Suratos, a former Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters cheerleader. Students from Pikake School carry a children's mikoshi (portable shrine), followed by the Sakura-kai Mikoshi from Vancouver, Canada.
The parade feeds into a 3:30 p.m. performance of "Little Red Riding Hood: Another Story," a musical performed entirely in Japanese.
Admission is free.
Workshops, games and a 500-book manga swap
Hands-on workshops run all day. Visitors can try ikebana (flower arranging), calligraphy, sumi-e ink painting, origami and a tea ceremony. Kids can scoop rubber ducks from the C Building fountain and take one home.
The Manga Swap in R Building Room 102 features more than 500 books in Japanese and English. Attendees can bring their own to trade or buy one for $5. A Japan Market and Flea Market open at 10 a.m. next door in Room 103.
Five contests offer prizes: paper airplane (kids, teens and adults), anime trivia, kendama, Beyblade and a cosplay contest judged by Sakura-Con.
Composer, peace exhibit and incarceration lecture
Film and game composer Kazuma Jinnouchi gives a talk titled "Behind the Music: Composing for Games, Films, and Anime" from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in B Building Room 104. Jinnouchi's credits include Makoto Shinkai's "Suzume," which won Best Music at the Japan Academy Film Prize, and "Halo 5: Guardians," which earned a BAFTA nomination, according to the college's programming guide.
A Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition fills B Building Room 101 all day. The display includes more than 30 photos, data panels and historical materials from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, provided by the organization Nuclear Weapons Awareness.
A separate lecture, "Within the Silence: Incarceration Camp Experiences," runs 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in B Building Room 102. The multimedia performance was co-created with the Wing Luke Museum and Living Voices Theatre.
Milestone anniversaries and exhibitors
The festival marks three franchise milestones: Super Mario Bros. turns 40 in global markets, Dragon Ball celebrates 40 years of its TV anime series and Pokémon hits 30. Activities include a Dragon Balls Scavenger Hunt and a Pokémon TCG Trading Hall.
Exhibitors include the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, Bellevue Arts Museum, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington, Seattle Kimono Club and Rain City Sumo.
This year's theme kanji is 幸 ("sachi"), meaning happiness. The organizers chose it to represent their hope for happiness in every shared moment, according to the Japan Week website. As 425 Magazine noted, the 10th anniversary lands neatly on 10/10, starting at 10 a.m.
