JSA EVENTS

We proudly present the 5th annual Japanese Spring Festival: Matsuri 2015! It'll be on Saturday, May 9th from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Hutchinson Courtyard (5706 S. University Ave. Chicago IL 60637). Unlike the previous spring festivals we hosted, this time we are offering free admission! Just remember to bring a few dollars for delicious food. Games with special prizes, info booths, and martial arts booths are free!

FOOD:

• Sushi
• Gyoza
• Takoyaki
• Mochi by UChicago Taiwanese American Student Association
• Snacks (Pocky, Koala no March, Hi-Chew)

PERFORMERS (starting at 6pm):

• Aya (AB'14)
• Awa Odori
• UChicago Aikido Club
• Aoki Tatsu
• UChicago Kendo Club
• Kojo Daiko

GAME/ACTIVITY BOOTHS:

• Shateki
• Superball Sukui
• Kendama
• Origami by UChicago aKDPhi
• Coloring Booth & "Choose-Your-Own-Anime" Adventure by Japanese Animation Society

MARTIAL ARTS BOOTHS:

• Aikido Club
• Judo Club

INFO BOOTHS:

• Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago
• Flower Arrangement by Ikebana on Halsted
• Tea Demonstration by Urasenke Chicago

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

• UChicago Student Government
• The Takeshita Family, New York, NY
• UChicago Center for East Asian Studies
• UChicago International Student Advisory Board

We'll be having our annual Spring Festival this Friday, the May 16th from 5pm! Please enjoy tasty Japanese food, fantastic cultural performances, and fun game booths at Logan Arts Center performance hall!

• The ticket includes festivities, a dinner, and a show.
• $10 @ the tickets sale in Reynolds club 12pm~3pm, Mon~Fri.
• $12 @ the door.

THE SHOW| 5:00 - 6:00 PM

• The Ho Etsu Taiko, (Japanese traditional drums)
• Jazz Shamisen by Tatsu Aoki and Miyumi Project
• Judo Martial Arts demonstrations

THE DINNER & FESTIVITIES | 6:00 - 7:30 PM

• Dinner: Sushi and Japanese traditional foods | 6:00 pm. Catered by Shinju Sushi.
• Game Booth: Origami Workshop, Kendama, and Wanage.
• Onigiri Booth: Make your own onigiri (rice balls)!
• Judo Booth: Learn how to protect yourself in the streets of Hyde Park.

We are having our annual Matsuri festival again this year on Friday the May 3rd from 5pm! Please come check out our spectacular performers, tasty Japanese food, and fun game booths at the beautiful Logan Arts Center performance hall!

• The ticket includes festivities, a dinner, and a show.
• $7 for U of C students/$10 for non- U of C students @ the tickets sale in Reynolds club 10am~3pm Mon~Fri.
• $10 for U of C students/$13 for non- U of C students @ the door.

THE FESTIVITIES | 5:00 - 7:00 PM

• Dinner: Sushi and Japanese traditional food | 5:00 pm. Catered by Shinju Sushi.
• Kimono Photo Booth: Dress up in traditional Japanese clothing and pose for photos.
• Game Booth: Origami Workshop, Kendama, and Wanage.
• Onigiri Booth: Make your own onigiri (rice balls)!
• Shodo Booth: Try your hands at Japanese caligraphy.

THE SHOW | 7:00 - 8:30 PM

• The Ho Etsu Taiko, featuring Tiffany Tamaribuchi from Sacramento Taiko (Japanese traditional drums)
• Wariki (Folk Song/Dance)
• Shamisen by Joshua Solomon
• Shakuhachi by Jia Senghe
• Judo Martial Arts demonstrations
• JSA Arashi Dancing Troupes

If you want to have ramen in Chicago, Wasabi is the place to go. They serve ramen that is comparable to those that can be found in Japan. It is a bit far from our campus, but the members who went definitely thought that it was worth it!

Is there anything better to do than to surround a nice, hot nabe with your friends on a cold winter night? A bunch of us gathered at my house this Friday night to do just that. Thanks to all the members who showed up, the event was a great fun!

For our first food sale of the year, we cooked and sold Japanese Pancakes on campus. Though the cooking took a bit longer than expected, it was definitely rewarding as we pretty much sold out!

If you want to try some Japanese barbecue in Chicago, Gyukaku is definitely the restaurant for you. About twenty members had a great time eating to our heart's content there.

We had our first Mitsuwa Trip of the year this Saturday. Our memebers had a lot of fun shopping for Japanese goods and filling their stomach full with Japanese food from the food court. Thank you to all those who helped us out by offering to drive!

JSA's 2nd Annual Spring MATSURI or festival in Japanese, will be Friday, April 6, 2012 in Ida Noyes Hall. With the great success of last year's event, JSA aims again to recreate the festive feeling of Japanese Matsuri with festival games and booths as well as traditional and pop performances from Japanese culture. Tickets are $10, including the dinner, festival and show. Check out the full line up of festivities and performances below!

THE FESTIVITIES | 5:00 - 7:00 PM

• Dinner: Sushi and Japanese traditional foods | 5:30 pm. Catered by Shinju Sushi.
• Kimono Photo Booth: Dress up in traditional Japanese clothing and pose for a purchaseable photo keepsake | More info coming soon.
• Origami Workshop & Janken Game Booth

THE SHOW | 7:00 - 8:30 PM

• The Chicago Koto Group on traditional Japanese string instruments
• The Ho Etsu Taiko Japanese drumming ensemble
• Kendo and Judo Martial Arts demonstrations
• JSA Yosakoi and Shin Dancing Troupes

Find photos of this event here.

The word "Matsuri" means festival and, as a newly formed RSO on campus, on Saturday, May 7 2011, JSA aimed to recreate the festive feeling of Japanese Matsuri and celebrate its founding and flourishing thus far. Headliners for this event included: internationally recognized Japanese stand-up comedian featured on Last Comedian Standing, Rio Koike, and leading taiko (Japanese drumming) ensemble in the Chicago area, Tsukasa Taiko (aka Legacy Taiko). Other features included traditional Tsugaru-Shamisen music by Joshua Solomon and Soranbushi dance performances by the JSA Yosakoi Dance Troupe. Dinner was served before the show catered by Hyde Park's own Shinju Sushi.

In light of the record high magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan earlier that year, JSA's Relief and Rebuild Committee set up a donation table to especially assist those students left with virtually nothing, but still hoping to pursue an education. $2 Raffle tickets were also sold with a complimentary Limited Edition Meiji chocolate to fund-raise for this cause. Prizes for the raffle included gift certificates for free dinners at nearby Japanese restaurants and Tsubaki spa sets. All profits from this event were donated to the Japan Relief & Rebuild Committee to be used for the Iwate University Scholarship Fund.

Find photos of this event here.