Jaclyn Figg
Staff Writer
It is easy to stay within the comfortable boundaries of one’s own culture, but perhaps sometimes an escape is necessary.
Japan Night offers exactly that: an evening escape from American culture with a sneak peek into the music, cuisine and arts of Japanese culture.
This event will take place in the Idaho State University Pond Student Union Building (PSUB) Ballroom Saturday Nov. 14, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and performances beginning at 6 p.m.
Educating people about Japan and its people’s culture is one of the Japan Club’s main goals.
“Most people in this community don’t really know what we do, what our culture is about,” said Sanae Johnsen, adviser for the Japan Club. “It’s a way to teach them about Japanese culture, Japanese food and traditions.”
Yuko Ito, an anthropology major at ISU, is president of the Japan Club and in charge of all the planning for Japan Night.
Approximately 400 people usually attend the event. With no actual sponsors, it is up to Yuko Ito, Sanae Johnsen and Junichi Ito, the treasurer of the Japan Club, to buy the food for the event and prepare it.
Some of the food is not available in Pocatello so they make a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, or order it online.
Japanese food is made not just to be eaten, but to appeal to the eye and is prepared with care.
“American food is made to be eaten for volume, Chinese food is meant to be eaten by tongue,” said Johnsen. “In Japan it is made to be eaten with the eyes. The beauty of the meal, everything you look at is beautiful, the color coordination, you can eat it with your eyes.”
In December of 2013, traditional Japanese cuisine was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the goal of which is to protect and raise awareness for important cultural heritages to preserve the tradition.
The proceeds go towards expenditures of the evening, scholarships, as well as the general funding of the Japan Club.
A Japanese musical performance will help illustrate Japanese culture, with Junichi Ito performing on piano while a choir group from the community sings.
“The choir is going to sing traditional Japanese music, not so much tradition but pop music after the war from ’50s and ’60s,” Ito said.
Along with the musical performance, there will be a few other performances such as the Soran Dance, Taiko drums and martial arts routines.
“[The Soran Dance] represents Japanese fisherman working to gather fish for their town,” said Troy Wade, a member of the Japan Club.
The Pocatello-Iwamizawa Sister City program helps to facilitate the process of exchanging students with Pocatello’s sister city Iwamizawa City in Hokkaido, Japan.
Pocatello-Iwamizawa Sister City members, along with exchange students help with the event alongside the Japan Club members.
“They will help us serve the meal, prepare in the kitchen and they have some items from Japan to sell,” Johnsen said.
Though ISU only has four Japanese students currently enrolled, the Japan Club is host to 35 members. The club is for anyone who is interested, wants to learn more about Japan’s culture and enjoys traditional Japanese food.
The club meets every week and the leaders prepare a dish to share with all club members. A $15 fee is required for members each semester to help with the food cost from the weekly meals.
When asked his favorite thing about the Japan Club, Wade said, “The food mainly.”
The Japan club and its leaders have been preparing for Japan Night since the beginning of the semester. It will take them two days to cook all of the food for the event.
Tickets are available at the Campus Connection Desk located inside the PSUB second floor from Nov. 2-12 between 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Student tickets are $7, faculty tickets are $8 and public tickets are $9. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door for an additional dollar.
Junichi Ito urges people to come to Japan night, saying, “Come and be surprised!”
