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Sugar King Park to host upcoming Japanese festival
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Posted on Oct 12 2004
A huge crowd is expected to take part in the upcoming 19th Annual Japanese Autumn Festival, scheduled to take place on Oct. 23 at the Sugar King Park.
Hosted by the Japanese Society of the Northern Marianas, with assistance from the Marianas Visitors Authority, the festival would feature games for children, live entertainment, as well as various Japanese delicacies. About 50 professional dancers from Hokkaido, Japan, will arrive to perform various numbers during the event.
Also included in the celebration is the shichi-go-san, an autumnal ritual and Japanese tradition for seven, five and three-year-old children, as well as a yard sale, which includes various items from toys to clothing and appliances.
According to Hiroko Tagima of the Japanese Society of the Northern Marianas, the celebration also ties in with the harvest season in Japan.
“We grow plenty of rice in Japan, and fall is harvest time and we celebrate. It will be a lot of fun for everybody, and it is open to everyone,” she said.
Like the annual Taste of the Marianas, tokens will be used in purchasing food and other items. Each token cost $1.
Citing the importance of Japan’s role in the history of the islands, the NMI Museum of History and Culture recently opened an exhibit detailing the industrial Japanese era to coincide with the festival.
The exhibit will run for three months, closing on Dec. 31.
The exhibit features pictures and artifacts from the Japanese era in the Commonwealth, including a personal scrapbook belonging to Haruji Matsue, who was credited with introducing sugar refinery in the Marianas.
The exhibit is open between 9am and 4:30pm from Monday to Friday.
For more information, contact the NMI Museum at 664-2160.
