WFWP GEORGIA EXPLORES JAPANESE CULTURE WITH FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
On Sunday, September 15, the Georgia WFWP chapter co-sponsored a Japan Fest at the Atlanta Family Community Center, a local church. The idea came from Sumiko Tranberg and Tomiko Gordon, who wanted to share Japanese culture with the youth and community members as well as create opportunities for everyone to connect and get to know each other better.
The afternoon event featured a diverse range of fun activities for people of all ages. This included a kimono fashion show, lots of games and a special table to learn Japanese and practice writing calligraphy under the guidance of Ms. Tranberg. The fourteen guests and numerous members of the congregation enjoyed the opportunity to wear kimonos, donated by Kiyoko Bowman, and try their hand at yo-yo fishing, a popular Japanese festival game that involves using a paper string and hook to fish water balloons out of a tub, which was organized by Hitomi Ozama.
Naturally, no cultural festival is complete without delicious local food. Visitors had a variety of enticing morsels to choose from to satiate their hunger, such as fresh sushi and green tea ice cream.
In addition to being a great opportunity to bring the community together, the event also served as a fundraiser. Tickets were sold for $1 each, which could be used to play games, participate in activities and purchase some of the amazing spring rolls, tempura shrimp, sushi and more. Just over $500 was raised and all profits from the event were donated to the church youth programs.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were eager to share about their highlights of the day’s festivities:
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to wear a kimono.”
“I just love all of the decorations, especially the Tanabata tree with wish papers and origami.”
“I like Japanese food so much. It was awesome to experience some of the culture today.”
We are delighted with the success of the event and are looking at putting on another, larger Japan Fest in the future.
