What once was a week of small events to enhance relations between the state of Georgia and the country of Japan has blossomed into a huge festival to celebrate Japanese residents and business and educate the community about the culture. JapanFest Atlanta is now a two-day commemoration of the 50-plus years of friendship between Georgia and Japan. Not only has the observance grown, but it has also moved around the metro area.
“Japan Week began in 1981,” said Yoshi Domoto, executive director of the Japan-America Society of Georgia. “And then in 1986, it was a field day of sorts at the Atlanta campus of Mercer University. It all came together to become one big festival — kind of one main event culminating in just the whole community getting together to celebrate Japanese culture because, at that time, there were more and more Japanese companies coming to Georgia. It was a great way to bring together Japanese [influence] — not only the business community, but also Americans working at those companies.”
Organized by the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta and supported by the Japan-America Society of Georgia and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, the event was held in 1995 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The festival moved to Stone Mountain a year later. As the state’s relationship with the Asian nation grew, so did the celebration and the interest in learning more and doing more with Japan. By 1997, JapanFest became its own nonprofit organization and was incorporated.
50th Anniversary
And then, in 2007, the nonprofit moved the event to what is now the Gas South Convention Center.
“We spent more than 10 years at Stone Mountain,” said Domoto, adding that the weather played a role in the turnout.
“We had 18,000 people come out to that first festival in Gwinnett, and we’ve been in Gwinnett ever since,” he said. “So, I guess it’s kind of hard to determine our actual anniversary.”
But if you go by the date that the state of Georgia opened its first international office in Tokyo, it’s safe to say that since 1973, the Peach State has shared a lasting friendship and economic alliance with Japan. That’s why many are touting this year’s JapanFest weekend as the 50th anniversary.
Now, Georgia and Japan share a sister state-prefecture relationship and 10 sister-city connections. Georgia is also regarded as the center of Japanese business activities in the Southeastern United States, with more than 600 Japanese-affiliated companies investing over $11 billion and employing nearly 40,000 workers state-wide. Conversely, there are more than 50 Georgia companies doing business in Japan.
“Japan is the number one foreign investor in the state of Georgia,” said Domoto. “So, chances are you know people who are working at a Japanese company and/or are doing business with them too.”
A trip abroad without leaving home
“We like to say that JapanFest is the perfect way to experience Japan,” he said. “It’s the next best thing to actually going to Japan directly. We have a little bit of everything.”
In terms of food, music, workshops and exhibits, there are vendors that sell a wide variety of cultural items.
“There’s a lot of anime and manga and pop culture as well as educational workshops that talk about Japanese culture,” he said. “We even have the Japanese Businesses in Georgia (JBiG) exhibition in which the companies that are here showcase their products that are produced here.”
The interactive exhibits also include the latest in Japanese technology, including automobiles, tractors, electronics, high-tech toilets, video games and virtual reality.
“There’s so much that’s produced here thanks to Japanese companies,” he said.
Food and fun
But the biggest draw is definitely the food. Get ready for some of the best sushi, ramen, bento boxes, rice bowls, yakisoba, shaved ice and more at the Japanese Food Court and Beer Garden.
“It’s a great way to go to one place to get authentic Japanese food,” he said. “And then the musical and dance performances that we have are guest performers that we invited from Japan and other parts of the U.S.”
There will be a children’s area, where youngsters can make their own Japanese crafts and toys. They can even take part in carrying a traditional Japanese portable shrine at the omikoshi parade. Those who are into retail therapy may want to head down to Ginza Dori, named after Tokyo’s famous shopping district, where you can experience Japanese festival-style games, accessories, snacks and toys. Visitors can also purchase an amazing array of Japanese goods, including kimonos, Japanese tea, dolls, hand-made crafts, anime/manga goods and much more at more than 100 vendor booths.
Domoto added that what makes JapanFest unique is that local groups are also invited to perform.
Traditional culture and live entertainment
Georgia Japanese Language School, a Saturday school to support Japanese students now living in metro Atlanta, will have a choral group perform. So will the International Charter Academy of Georgia, a statewide charter school offering a dual language immersion program in English and Japanese, available free of charge to any K-6 student residing in the state. Other local groups will perform various dance and tea ceremonies.
“We also have ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) and an exhibit of bonsai, which is Japanese tree cultivation,” Domoto said. “There’s also origami demonstrations, and people can try on kimonos the authentic way and take photos.”
This year’s highlight is Miyabiya Japan, a kabuki group. Kabuki theater is a big part of Japanese traditional culture that mixes dramatic performance with traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylized performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes and for the elaborate kumadori makeup worn by some of its performers.
There will also be performances by a Japanese rock group based out of New York and a Japanese comedian/storyteller.
With so much history between the state and the country, there will be photo exhibits showcasing important moments in creating the bonds shared today.
The details
JapanFest 2024 takes place on Saturday, September 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday, September 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Gas South Convention Center.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit japanfest.org
