The Japanese Student Association would like to celebrate Tsukimi (月見) with students on campus! The event will take place from 3-4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, on the Union Mall. JSA wants to bring awareness to campus on how autumn is celebrated in Japan, as well as sharing the relevancy of the moon in Japanese culture!

This event serves as a learning possibility for students to have a "taste" of Japanese culture and to learn some fun facts about Japanese traditions. Tsukimi also tells a fascinating story about the origin of rabbits and how they played a part in the creation of the craters in the moon, and we would love to be able to share this information with students all across campus.

During the celebration of Tsukimi in Japan, Mochi and Dango are enjoyed by tradition, so we would like to make these international foods ourselves and serve them to students on campus. The specifics of the foods we would like to serve are: Mitarashi Dango, Kinako Mochi and Red Bean Mochi. We also have utilized the Creative Community Center in Adohi to create small 3D models of rabbits to hand out during the event, and small laser engraved coasters with rabbits on them, as well as the event name, "Tsukimi 月見."

This event by the Japanese Student Association will allow students to gain knowledge about a specific Japanese tradition "Tsukimi," which is celebrated around this time of the year. Sharing Japanese culture through food and traditions is an educational and fun experience that can encourage students to learn more about Japan and other cultures and broaden their worldview.

We also want students to know that non-Japanese students are welcome on board the JSA team; we are always looking for students that share a love and understanding for different cultures and diversity. We look forward to the possibility of sharing our culture and traditions on campus!

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 questions about the event or for accommodations due to disability, please contact Kenshi Kawade, kkawade@uark.edu, 910-260-3561.