As a celebration of Whitehorse’ sister city Ushiku, Japan, the Japanese Canadian Association of Yukon put on Japan Fest Matsuri, a cultural exhibition at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre on Nov. 5.
The event, which was lined up out the door as soon as it opened, offered a look at a variety of arts, performances and other aspects of Japanese culture. A free bento lunch was passed out to the first 150 people through the door and the event opened with a performance by Yukon Taiko whose deep drumbeats filled the hall.
Booths showcasing caligraphy and origami among other topics were there for people to browse and there were also musical performances, martial arts demonstrations and folk dancing.
The festival was held as a celebration of the sister-city relationship Whitehorse has shared with Ushiku since the 1980s. Every year Whitehorse flies Ushiku’s flag for one day in June and an exchange program allowing students from one city an opportunity to visit the other has been in place for decades.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com