The Japanese Student Association invites students to attend Japanese Fall Festival on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. in the Holcombe Hall living room.

Nov. 15-19 is also International Education Week, sponsored by the Office of International Students and Scholars at University of Arkansas, which celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This year's IEW theme is "Together is Better," which is the same with our Japanese Fall Festival. Therefore, we hope this festival can enhance IEW and give more people opportunities of cross-cultural experience.

Festivals in Japan, "Matsuri," have served a variety of purposes over time. Originally, from the teachings of Shintoism, the Japanese believed that a god exists for everything, so they started to hold "Matsuri" to worship those gods. As time went by, the purposes and the contents have changed based on the need of the people. Today, "Matsuri" are held in many different forms to honor the gods, to give thanks for the seasons, to bring people together and to connect the local community. More detailed information about "Matsuri" is available on Wikipedia. In this age of pandemics, JSA would like to offer a unique Japanese festival to bring people together and have a great time.

In our "Matsuri," people can play Japanese games, wear Japanese clothing, "Yukata," try Japanese calligraphy and enjoy free Japanese food. All of these are unique aspects of Japanese culture that you can experience at this festival.

This event is supported by the Student Activities Fee as a funded event by the Associated Student Government and is free to all currently-enrolled U of A students. For questions about the event or for accommodations due to disability, please contact Kenshi Kawade, kkawade@uark.edu, 910-260-3561.