More than 250 attendees filled the Memorial Union ballroom decorated with paper chains, fairy lights, paper cranes, and small origami stars.
The Japanese Student Association put on a show with food, music, dance and other entertainment at their annual J-night event on Feb. 28.
The sold-out event featured a bukansai, or Japanese school field day, theme.
“It’s very school-inspired, very whimsical, very cute. And then we have school-themed food on the menu,” said JSA president Rin Yamashita-Deschesnes, a second-year biochemistry major.
The food given to attendees included rice, yakisoba, a stir-fried noodle dish and butajiru, a Japanese miso soup with vegetables.
“(J-night) is a display of our culture- everything that we don’t get to put in our events throughout the year, or parts of culture that maybe aren’t as well-known to everyone,” Yamashita-Deschesnes said.
The evening’s lineup started with a set from members of the Bands and Gigs club, who played several Japanese pop and rock songs.
Several dance numbers took the stage throughout the event, including dynamic pieces from dance groups Kinetic, Anomaly and from JSA officers, who wore white shirts and ties, aiming to create a matching school uniform look.
A student group dressed as the Power Rangers, a team of superheroes from the American television show, fought off a villain and then broke out into dance, garnering lots of applause.
The evening also featured a Kendo demonstration of various moves from the Japanese martial art modeled after sword fighting, based on the “principles of the sword.” Presented strikes included those to the head and throat and sparring called keiko.
The traditional Japanese drumming ensemble played energetic songs; featuring the musicians hitting several different kinds of drums in large motions.
Interspersed throughout the night, emcees offered humorous quips about struggling with studying for various school subjects, broke into impromptu dance and raffled off prizes.
Audience participation was incorporated throughout the event, with audience members competing in a math trivia competition on stage, working with their tables to be the first to put different events in Japanese history in chronological order and being tested on their knowledge of kanji, or Japanese characters, in ballroom-wide trivia.
Friends Ryo Maeda, a third-year ecological engineering major and member of the Power Rangers group, and Alisa Vangrunsren, a third-year civil engineering major and member of Anomoly, both remarked on the enthusiasm of attendees.
“I love the support from everyone. It feels like everyone is clapping together,” Vangrunsren said.
They also expressed that they enjoyed all of the performances, food, decorations and the activities that connected attendees with others at their tables.
“The event has been a great opportunity to experience something new and different, and meet new people,” Maeda said.
Lawrence Eng, a Corvallis resident and Oregon State University employee, attended J-night with his family, which included child members. He said his family frequently goes to cultural events and recently went to the Taiwanese Cultural Night.
“It is just fun entertainment, and I love to see how students interact with each other and gather,” Eng said.
“Being able to come out and enjoy entertainment and support all the students, all the hard work that they put in- that’s always great.”Those interested in getting involved in JSA or attending other of their events can follow them on Instagram
@osujsa. More information about upcoming cultural events can be found on the OSU events page.
