27.09.2023
Japanese culture festival took place in Volgograd
On September 25, 2016, Volgograd once again hosted the School Alternative Festival of the Japanese Culture, also known as the “Japanese Cupboard”. For the 4th time already this event unites youth creativity clubs who love Japan dearly and are ready to explain and show why exactly, as well as numerous attendants interested in the Country of the Rising Sun.
The festival was held with the support of Volgograd State University, thank to which its attendants managed to use the huge premises of the library, as well as in cooperation with the international and regional relations directorate of Volgograd administration: Hiroshima and Volgograd are sister-cities with a very active history of cooperation. Remember, that this August our city hosted the International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future organized by Volgograd and Hiroshima together.
The event was traditionally divided in two parts: interactive and concert-styled. During its first half, the VolSU library became a platform for entertaining thematic activities for every taste, prepared by the organizing collectives from Volgograd and its region. Among the traditionally Japanese enjoyments were a calligraphy and language lesson from the “Satori” club, a kimono and noh theater stand, origami and hanafuda cards from the “Amaterasu” club, a popular Japanese board game go from the “VertiGO” club, and, of course, the tea ceremony from the masters of the project “Koshachiy CHAI and koshkiny CHAYAnia”.
Cultures of the other countries, too, were present at the festival. For example, in the “Mythical Forest” tavern by the “Pelmeny bez myasa” creative team, everyone could see creatures from the legends and fairytales of the whole world, and during the logical quest “Outer Space as it is” by the “Inari” cross-culture activity club – get a glimpse of the culture of extraterrestrial civilizations.
Among the more dynamic entertainments there were a sword-fighting competition by the “Inari” club from Volzhsky, the basics of capoeira with the instructors from “Cordao de ouro” organization and a yoga workshop with the trainer Lyubov Ivanova. Also, one could get some rest from the action during the PC games tournament by the “Green Tea on Morning” club, in the world of everyone’s favorite “Mafia” game under supervision of Harley Quinn from the “Amaterasu” club and in a thematic “Jeopardy” tournament from the Club of Volgograd INTELlectuals. And, of course, among the popular destinations, there were board games from the Children Creativity House of Krasnooktyabrsky district of Volgograd and a poster exhibition about the A-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the “Volgograd-Hiroshima” friendship society.
Anime enthusiasts enjoyed the second project of the “Satori” club: an interactive cafe, where waitresses were dressed as live dolls from the “Rozen Maiden” series. It was this room that received eventually the prize for the best thematic activity.
For active participation in the work of the rooms, visitors were awarded prize tickets, which in the second part of the festival could be exchanged for quite real and very useful things: hand-made staff, souvenirs and sweets.
Among the festival’s novelties, this year there was a catwalk show for all registered cosplayers and a roadmap for those who were not sure where to start their journey: by attending 10 rooms from the list in a row visitors could get an additional reward.
Speaking about rewards, we cannot leave unmentioned the traditional competitions for the best thematic room, the best sketch-art and the best costume, the winners of which received their well-deserved prizes.
Photos: https://vk.com/album-124413095_236188860
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