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Japanese festival today at Sugar King
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Posted on Oct 22 2004
Its time to celebrate Japanese-style when the 19th Annual Japanese Autumn Festival takes place today, Oct. 23, from 11am to 2pm, 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 be on hand 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.
During an earlier interview, Japanese Society of the Northern Marianas member Hiroko Tagima said the celebration also ties in with Japan’s harvest season.
“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.
Similar to the annual Taste of the Marianas, tokens will be used for buying foods and other items. Each token cost $1.
In related news, the NMI Museum of History and Culture recently opened an exhibit detailing the industrial Japanese era to coincide with the festival, citing the important role Japan played in the course of history.
The exhibit will be open 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 is credited with introducing sugar refinery in the Marianas.
The exhibit is open for touring between 9am and 4:30pm from Monday to Friday.
For more information on the exhibit, contact the NMI Museum at 664-2160.
