The Japanese Student Association invites all students to our kick off, "JSA入学式," from 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Multicultural Center in the Student Union.

入学式, or "Nyugakushiki," is an entrance ceremony for new freshmen in Japan. Generally, in the ceremony, students of all grades gather at one place to celebrate the beginning of freshmen's journey. The Japanese Student Association named this event because it is going to be their first event of the school year of 2022-23, and they are hoping many students gather, get to know each other and have fun.

One thing which this event is different from the original Nyugakushiki is that this event is more casual. While Nyugakushiki in Japan is very formal and traditional, the JSA event will have some fun games and food instead. This time, people can play Japanese games and enjoy FREE Japanese food. The game is related to sumo wrestling, which is one of Japan's traditional sports. The food is curry rice, a very common household food in Japan. Attendees will meet new people, including new freshmen, as well as catch a glimpse of our JSA activity and hopefully, to find something interesting in Japanese culture.

Also, this year, JSA is creating JSA Committees. Students can learn about these new positions from our JSA Instagram, then attend this event and show us your interest. We will present what we are expecting from these positions.

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 University of Arkansas students. For more information, please join JSA GroupMe or follow JSA Instagram. For questions about the event or for accommodations due to disability, you can directly contact Kenshi Kawade, kkawade@uark.edu.