The Japanese Cultural Center, built in 1985, is located by the Saginaw Children’s Zoo. The Cultural Center had their annual Japan Festival on Sept. 15 inviting people of all ages to learn more about Japanese culture.
During the festival, there was a chance to go inside the Tea House itself. Those who chose to attend took part in a traditional Tea Ceremony, which included trying flavorful pairings of matcha and sweet treats. Besides the festival, the Cultural Center continues to offer Tea Ceremonies on Saturdays and daily tours of the lush garden.
Outside of the Tea House, there were many different displays of talent, which included swordsmanship, singing, martial arts, and instrument ensembles. Some acts even allowed audience participation, which promoted interest and crowd engagement.
Besides the main ceremony and performances, there were plenty more hands-on activities throughout the garden section of the Cultural Center. For those interested in the plant aspect of the garden, there was a bonsai and ikebana (flower arranging) station.
For those who had the patience of working with paper, there was also an origami and a Shodo (calligraphy) station. In these stations, participants learned how to fold paper to make 3D creations such as animals and how to write in characters called Kanji, which is one of the Japanese written languages.
While at the festival, there were many volunteers, coordinators, and directors who made sure everything ran smoothly.
One of the directors, Masumi Azu, said,
“The most concern is the safety of all the visitors and making sure that the guests are happy and hydrated.”
When asked about running the festival itself, she said that “It is a lot of work. We had a lot of preparation, a lot of meetings and coordination.” Apart from the preparation, she loves watching the performers and catching up with them.
Another person who helps at the festival is the Chair of the Modern Foreign Language Department and the Professor of Japanese at SVSU, Monika Dix. Dix is originally from Germany and lived in Japan for six years, which inspired her to teach both German and Japanese. Outside the festival, she stays involved year-round helping with the aforementioned Tea Ceremony each Saturday.
To keep the festival and Cultural Center up to date, the directors hope to add an addition to the building and make much needed repairs to structures in the garden. These renovations will ensure the integrity of the Tea House and will provide more learning opportunities for its visitors in the future. For those who want to help, there is a donation page located on their website japaneseculturalcenter.org.
