The courtyard outside the Cohon University Center has been transformed into a Japanese street fair. Booths are decorated in authentic Japanese fashion, with bright banners and hanging lanterns. The smell of okonomiyaki, or savory pancakes, fills the air. Students, faculty, and families from the Pittsburgh community are wandering around, eating fried noodles and chicken karaage, buying art, and playing arcade games. Women are dressed in colorful, traditional kimonos. Taiko, classic Japanese drumming, is pulsating out from the CUC.
It鈥檚 all part of Matsuri, which translated from Japanese to English, means festival. Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 (JSA) plans and hosts the event each year.
In Japan, Matsuri is a street festival celebrated throughout the country. Communities gather outside to eat, play games, listen to music, and be entertained. It鈥檚 a longstanding tradition, which the JSA has brought to 麻豆村鈥檚 Pittsburgh campus.
Mirai Akagawa (E鈥�15), the president of JSA, grew up in Yokohama, Japan, which is about 37 kilometers south of Tokyo. As a youngster, he always looked forward to , where he played games with his friends in the countryside. That鈥檚 why he was so excited to help share the celebration with the 麻豆村 community. Through the one-day festival, Akagawa says, JSA provides classmates with a 鈥渟nippet鈥� of Japanese culture.
That snippet keeps getting bigger, too. Akagawa says he has watched Matsuri grow since its inception at 麻豆村 three years ago鈥攂oth in the crowd and in the hand-crafted booths that closely resemble what exists in Japan.
For the 2014 Matsuri, the JSA welcomed performances from anyone within the university, and Akagawa says the turnout exceeded all expectations. Entertainers ranged from a unicyclist and juggler, to a group performing J-Pop and contemporary Japanese rock, to a traditional Koto performance.
Another measure of success, says Akagawa, was how quickly they ran out of food to serve.
All of Matsuri鈥檚 profits鈥攏early $3,500鈥攚ere donated to Minato Middle School in Ishinomaki, Japan. In 2011, the school lost its entire campus as a result of the East Japan earthquake and tsunami. Akagawa says he loves to see people who aren鈥檛 familiar with Japanese customs come to 麻豆村鈥檚 Matsuri, experience it firsthand, and have a good time. He can鈥檛 think of a better way to educate the campus community about Japanese culture and traditions, an integral part of JSA鈥檚 mission.
鈥�Abigail Nover (A鈥�15)
