On Sunday, the Veteran’s Memorial Park offered a look inside a culture over 5,000 miles away.
The Aki Matsuri Festival, meaning “Fall Festival,” annually incorporates a variety of diverse elements within Japanese culture. On Sunday people from out of state and fellow New Mexicans gathered to see the cultural demonstrations that took place at the sunny, outdoor venue.
The Japanese American Citizens League has been hosting Japanese culture festivals since the 80s, and has been a collective effort from all those involved to make the event a success.
“It’s a year process to get performers set up to attend, and vendors who want to come in,” said President of the JACL New Mexico Chapter, Steve Togami.
This was Aki Matsuri’s first appearance at the Veteran’s Memorial Park, which welcomed food trucks at the entrance for guests to grab something to eat under the shade.
The main focus of the festival was the stage located at the heart of the park presenting dozens of performances, from Taiko drum groups, traditional Japanese dance, Karate demonstrations and a ramen eating contest.
There was a medley of different vendors present at the event as well, including thrifted Japanese goods run by NMJACL volunteers, traditional Japanese clothing and a booth to have your name written in calligraphy by one of the University of New Mexico’s own Japanese teachers, Machiko Bomberger sensei.
UNM’s Japanese club was at the festival is well. Their members were at different locations throughout the event contributing to the festival’s jubilant atmosphere.
Located outside of the park, there was a focus on Japanese artistry with exhibits just steps away from the venue featuring work from Japanese artists, matcha tea tasting and a bonsai tree exhibit.
“What we try to do is showcase and highlight the different artists and how it ties into our theme this year for Japanese craftsmanship,” Togami said.
There was a diverse collection of activities to participate in, performances to enjoy and places to shop that showed just how much effort goes into the preparation and hosting of this cultural fall festival.
“We want to share Japanese culture with Albuquerque, and the different aspects the culture has,” Togami said.
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The sun was shining on the Aki Matsuri Festival. The people who were present had smiles on their faces and were kept captivated by the events sprinkled throughout the venue that showcased a unique culture people may have been unfamiliar with.
“I wasn’t familiar with the Japanese folk dancing or traditional clothing before coming here,” said Aarika Jiron, a junior at UNM. “I loved how genuinely happy and kind all of the people involved in hosting the event were to the guests.”
Macey Rose is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted by email at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @maceyrae9.
