It can be easier to learn about foreign cultures by studying their pop culture. French wine, Russian gymnasts and English television are all access points to finding out more about what goes on across the proverbial pond.
That’s the idea behind this weekend’s Japanese Anime Arts Festival. The festival seeks to break down the barriers between Japanese culture and America using two popular art forms: anime and manga. The festival is two days of performances, lectures and ceremonies to help educate people on Japanese art, culture and history.
Anime is a broad term that refers to Japanese animated productions, whether hand drawn or computer animated. Manga are comics created by Japanese illustrators.
“What we want is participants’ minds to be broadened,” said Everett Community College librarian and Japanese Club adviser Heather Jean Uhl. “We want people to learn something new and have fun at the same time.”
The festival, which includes a lecture by guest of honor, Yoshimi Kurata, a famous manga artist from Japan, two authentic Japanese tea ceremonies served by EvCC students and taiko and kabuki performances, begins noon May 29 and 10 a.m. May 30 at the college. The festival is free.
“Frequently entrance to festivals like this is $50 to $75,” said Uhl, who is a regular presenter at Sakura-Con, an annual three-day anime convention in Seattle, and has been attending anime conventions since 1999. “We wanted this to be accessible for anyone who is interested.”
Uhl is putting on the inaugural JAAF with the help of co-adviser Mayumi Nishiyama-Smith, director of EvCC’s Niponn Business Institute, a program with the mission to bridge cultural gap between Eastern and Western cultures through educational and community programs.
Uhl said that NBI is a unique program in the state of Washington and helps students make connections to universities and businesses in Japan. Specialized classes include courses on language, Japanese humanities and anime and manga arts.
Here’s a schedule of some of the key events for this weekend’s festival:
Friday
1 p.m. Lecture and drawing demonstration by Japanese manga artist Kurata. The JAAF guest of honor is a famous manga artist who has been writing and drawing since the early 1970s. He created one of the longest running mangas in Japan, Aji Ichi Monme (Taste of Sweetness), a heartwarming story about a sushi chef that features traditional Japanese food.
2 p.m. Zack Davisson, a professional manga translator, will host Manga Translation 101 to explain how he takes the written word of mangas and translates them for an English-speaking audience.
3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Seatings for two traditional Japanese tea ceremonies begin. There will be a garden tour and a shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese flute performance, for guests to enjoy. Seating is limited. Tickets for the tea ceremony are $5 and can be purchased at the booth in the Jackson Center.
6:30 p.m. Free screening of the film “Brave Story,” which is based on the fantasy masterpiece by Miyuki Miyabe. Seattle’s Consulate General of Japan is hosting the screening.
Saturday
11 a.m. Seattle’s only mobile Japanese taiyaki artisans and the first taiyaki food truck in the country, Beanfish, starts serving its Japanese pastries, which look like fish and are filled with all types of fillings including peanut butter and banana, apple pie and red bean paste.
Noon The Okinawa Kenjin Club hosts an Taiko performance, which includes traditional drumming music and a folk dance lesson. They will also lead a workshop.
1 p.m. Tacoma’s Kabuki Academy performs dance and music featuring kimono and stage makeup.
2 p.m. Seattle-based artist and game designer Enfu, who designed Uwajimaya’s shopping bags, will give a live drawing and pattern-making demo with a Q&A to follow. He will also be selling and signing his first book, “Enfu: Cute Grit.”
3 p.m. Uhl will host a talk titled “Hidden by Gods: Folklore in ‘Spirited Away,’” which explores folklore themes from Hayao Miyazaki’s film.
For more information, and a schedule of events, visit EverettCC.edu/JAAF.
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