Features

A small piece of Japan brought to Anchorage: Japan Fest

UAA, the Anchorage School District and the Japan Alaska Association hosted an exciting event on April 27.

A few of the many models displaying Kimonos at Japan Fest. Photo by Hannah Dillon.

A variety of Japanese themed performances were hosted at the Diamond High School auditorium on April 27. The event was open to the public and featured famous Tsugaru Shamisen musicians, KiKi, ASD traditional Taiko drummers, Tomodachi Daiko. There was also a samurai and ninja performance by Brumai and a Kimono show.

UAA’s Montgomery Dickson Center for Language and Culture and Anchorage School District’s World Languages and Immersion Program assisted the Japan Alaska Association to create the impeccable performances featured at Japan Fest.

Walking into the auditorium unveiled the sound of excited chatter between audience members. Many children and adults were wearing colorful Kimonos.

After a short introduction by event speakers Carla Swick and Chris Vaughan, the anticipatory chatter was quickly hushed by the surprising, roaring thunder of drums. 

The stage presented first a performance by Tomodachi Daiko.

Tomodachi Daiko consists of six performers and seven traditional Japanese Taiko drums. 

The difference of one drum created a theatrically intense display of unique drumming between performers. The drummers swayed left and right in unison to beat on the drum next to them. One drummer constantly played a singular smaller Taiko drum in the background. 

Female Tsugaru Shamisen duo KiKi put on an amazing performance. Hikari Shirafuji and Kanami Takeda sat in their respective chairs with their left hand raised high along a Shamisen, a three stringed fretless instrument, and their right hand wrapped around the Bachi – a large pick used for playing. 

According to a provided event pamphlet – KiKi often blend traditional Tsugaru Shamisen folk songs with familiar contemporary genres of rock, jazz and pop. 

They played with such vigor and concentration as strings were plucked and hands were molded to the instrument. Their faces were still and looked ahead with each flawless performance. 

Tokyo based Shamisen content creator, Norman Nakamura, taught the audience to clap in awe at the crescendo of each song's intensity.

Much of the audience gave a standing ovation after KiKi’s first performance. 

Samurai and ninja performance was presented by a theatrical group called Burai. Burai is an entertainment group based out of Los Angeles who specialize in Japanese sword fighting. 

The performance’s story featured comedic Samurai searching for a wandering princess. Samurai engaged with the audience in their search – which led them to their fictional deaths by an unexpected princess-protecting ninja.

The Kimono show was presented in-part by costume designer and Kimono specialist for the 2024 TV series “Shogun” Sueko Oshimoto.

The beginning of the Kimino show featured many local models including Miss Northern Lights, Miss Kenai Peninsula and over 25 other beautifully dressed models who gracefully walked across the stage to highlight the intricately designed Kimonos.

Some Kimonos were covered in floral designs while others looked detailed enough to tell a story. Many Kimonos were paired with traditional sandals while others were highlighted by high heels and contemporary Kimono fashion. 

The Kimono show also featured the intricate and tedious tying of a Kimono’s Obi – a broad sash worn on the waist of a woman’s Kimono. 

Event speaker Swick then noted that most of the models had been preparing for the event for over eight hours between hair, makeup, Kimono fitting and Obi tying.

Five Kimono designers tied their models’ square shaped Obi in approximately 20 minutes – demonstrating just a small portion of the dedication everyone who participated provided. 

The event ended with all of the performers standing on stage providing one last performance for the satisfied audience. 

As a treat for those who stayed until the very end, many of the performers hung around to take photos with the audience. It was an event to remember. 

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