From a night in Osaka to traditional Japanese sports days, the Japanese Student Association (JSA) at UW brings a chance to experience Japanese culture through various events held throughout the year.
The club’s annual trademark event, Matsuri, will be hosted in the HUB Ballroom on May 10 from 3 to 8 p.m. For the past three years, over 1,000-2,000 guests have attended the event.
Matsuri means festival in Japanese and is celebrated throughout the world following the Japanese diaspora. Matsuri themes can range variously with JSA’s Matsuri theme this year being “Edo-Jidai,” a throwback to Japan’s Edo period of cunning samurai and breathtaking artistry.
To incorporate the theme, the club has invited the Kendo Club at UW to perform, alongside other various performances held throughout the day. A highlight interactive centerpiece will also debut in the middle of the ballroom for guests to take pictures and learn more about the Edo period in Japan.
“Back when I lived in Japan, there were a lot of Matsuris I went to,” Kai Bergquist, outreach head of JSA, said. “Those have been celebrating kind of more religious stuff, like celebrating the end of summer or stuff like that. But I guess for JSA it’s really just a celebration of Japanese culture here in Seattle.”
Officers of JSA have dedicated 2-3 hours since the beginning of winter quarter to help hand-make nearly all of the decorations for the event. For them, Matsuri is not solely just about Japanese culture or JSA, but a goal for the team to work on every year and a culmination of their hard work.
“They meet at the RSO center [at the HUB], work on decoration, and it’s super fun,” Rei Anderson, president of JSA, said. “They send a message in the group chat, being like, ‘Oh! I’m at the RSO center working on the decoration. Please come by and hang out.’”
Guests are personally recommended by Anderson to try the kakigori, a Japanese shaved ice dessert with trending flavors such as matcha red bean. Other traditional cultural activities are available as well, including senbonbiki, where guests can pull lottery ribbons for a chance to win treats or prizes.
“I’d love it if people kind of come with an open mind and try these games and foods that you know maybe they haven’t exactly heard of or either done before,” Bergquist said. “And yeah, kind of walk away with a more diverse perspective on the culture”
Courtesy of the Japanese Student Association.
Alongside Matsuri, Bergquist and his outreach team host a weekly event called “Kaiwa Table” for students to practice their Japanese or English and make new friends. Students of all backgrounds are encouraged to join regardless of proficiency in either language.
Anderson, who initially was hesitant about JSA during her freshman year, quickly changed her thoughts when joining. JSA became a community for her, a place where she could meet new friends and have opportunities to meet new people even outside JSA. The club has even done extensive collaborations with other Asian RSOs across UW, including a recent Hollywood-themed semi-formal and an upcoming bonfire night inspired by the hit Netflix show “Single’s Inferno.”
“For many people in JSA, officers and members, it’s just a place where they get to connect back with the Japanese culture and communicate their struggle — or not just struggles, but the fun aspects of Japanese culture as well,” said Anderson. “So whether that be just family, friends, the language itself, it’s just a place where you find people with similarities.”
Readers hoping to learn more about JSA, Kaiwa Table, and Matsuri can check out JSA’s Instagram for more information.
Reach writer Tommy Mac at arts@dailyuw.com. X: @mactommy_uw. Bluesky: @mac-tommy.bsky.social
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AloJapan.com