Despite a major lack in funding, the Japanese Student Organization was able to find a way to bring Japan to Ohio State students and the community.
The second annual Japan Spring Festival was hosted by JSO in Hagerty Hall on Saturday with about 500 people in attendance.
The festival had seven performances including, Aikido martial arts, a Japanese clothing fashion show, a flute performance of Sakura and Ikebana and the symbolic style of floral arrangement in Japan.
The event also included booths that allowed people to engage in Japanese culture by playing traditional games, make origami, writing calligraphy and wearing kimonos.
The origami booth helped raise funds for the “Thousand Crane Project,” in which people write their thoughts and prayers on paper-folded cranes and make donations to support the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy.
JSO was unable to meet the Council of Student Affairs proposal deadline to receive organization funding this quarter, which created a problem when planning the event.
Shinichi Ueda, a senior in economics and president of JSO, said this caused the group to cut back on the festival’s events and activities.
In addition, construction at the Ohio Union meant JSO had to find another venue and reduce advertisement because of the lack of space, Ueda said.
The first festival, which received about $2,500 in funding, was held in one of the Ohio Union ballrooms with 36 booths, 10 performances and more than 800 attendees.
With no funding this year, JSO reached out to supporters from the Japanese community to volunteer or donate to the festival, said Jeff Inada, an OSU alumnus and former president of JSO who came back to help.
Some of the supporters who came to the rescue included Japan-related organizations and businesses.
The festival would not be complete without traditional Japanese food. An on-site sushi chef, green tea ice cream and other dishes with traditional noodles and meat were also for sale.
JSO created the Japan Spring Festival because there were not any large events in Ohio dedicated to Japan and its culture.
“Being a student organization and not having too much power, we have tried our best to make an event as close as we can to Japanese atmosphere and culture,” Inada said.
Marcus Hanshew, a junior in Japanese and Korean, said he believes many students should attend these kinds of events.
“If you didn’t know that many things about Japanese culture, you’ll definitely learn a whole lot here,” he said.
JSO’s mission is to represent Japanese culture, language and the people of Japan on and around OSU’s campus. They host and participate in numerous social events that provide exposure to Japan.
Any student who has an interest in Japan and its traditions and culture can become a member. For more information about this organization visit jso.org.ohio-state.edu.
Sierra Reyes can be reached at [email protected].
