FESTIVAL OF FUN. The ninth annual Festival Japan, presented by the Japan-American Society of Oregon, Uwajimaya, and NW Natural, took place the last weekend in September at Uwajimaya Plaza. The family-friendly event featured two days of entertainment, food, demonstrations, fun, and more, including a taiko drumming performance by Takohachi. (AR Photo/Julie Stegeman)

From The Asian Reporter, V19, #39 (October 6, 2009), page 1 & 9.

By Julie Stegeman

Summer weather made perhaps its final appearance of the year at the ninth annual Festival Japan, which took place the last weekend of September in the parking lot of Beaverton’s Uwajimaya Plaza. The festival — presented by the Japan-American Society of Oregon (JASO), Uwajimaya, and NW Natural — celebrated Japanese culture with two full days of entertainment, food, demonstrations, fun, and more.

The weekend’s offerings, coupled with the warm, sunny weather, drew large crowds to the festival, made up of a wide range of people: elders, families with children, adults, teens, and even a few folks dressed as manga characters who wove through the throngs.

Arriving at the festival, attendees were greeted by the aroma of delicious food — both Japanese and Hawaiian — the deep booming sounds of taiko drums or other music, and the visual impact of hundreds of people snaking their way through booths offering food, information, and demonstrations or enjoying performances on a stage set up at one end of the festival.

The family-friendly event held lots of appeal for children, who happily held up unsuspecting goldfish in plastic bags that they’d won at one of the carnival games; clapped, danced to, or sat mesmerized by engaging performances; or hugged and took pictures with the Hello Kitty character, who wandered the festival greeting fans.

Adults enjoyed their own area as well, and could relax with a malty beverage at the Sapporo Beer Garden; sample saké and plum wine from SakéOne, Gekkeikan Saké, and Ozeki Kikkoman Plum Wine; or learn from informational booths, some offering samples of food and beverages. Lucky festival-goers on Saturday had an opportunity to meet and receive autographs from Takayuki Suzuki, Takuro Nishimura, and Jason McLaughlin of the Portland Timbers.

The festival provided nonstop entertainment on both days. Performances — seamlessly introduced by master of ceremonies Joel Iwanaga of KOIN News 6 — ranged from energetic children and youth from Richmond Elementary School’s Japanese immersion program pounding on taiko drums to a contest where participants competed to see who could eat the most natto — a strong-smelling and -tasting traditional Japanese food made of fermented soybeans.

Another contest, called Sashimi Samurai, pitted two local sushi chefs against one another in a head-to-head battle to create the most appealing sashimi platter within the allotted time frame. The competition — reminiscent of TV’s "Iron Chef" — showcased the two men’s deft and rapid skill with ultra-sharp knives on an assortment of seafood, including octopus and whole fish. Audience members voted for their favorite resulting platter using applause and were given an opportunity to bid on the finished products to take home and enjoy.

Other performances included traditional Japanese dance by Fujinami Kai; rock music by A-Key Kyo; breakdancing by the Epworth Break Dancers; taiko drumming by Portland Taiko, Monmouth Taiko, and Takohachi; a tofu-eating contest where participants were unable to use their hands; and more.

A second stage at the festival hosted athletic martial arts demonstrations. Featured groups included Ojukan Judo, Westside Martial Arts, Aikido Multnomah Aikikai, Pacific Martial Arts, and others.

In addition, there were demonstrations of several activities at booths throughout the festival, including a presentation of go — a strategic board game — by the Portland Go Club in addition to instruction on origami by the Japanese Ancestral Society and the Oregon Nikkei Endowment, sumi-e painting by Karen Fullerton, and calligraphy by Sekko Shodo Kai.

To learn more about Festival Japan or JASO, call (503) 552-8811, e-mail <info@jaso.org>, or visit <www.jaso.org>.