Help my daughter get to Japan #please #hireher #donate

My daughter has been invited by her school to go on a special trip to Japan.  We'll do what we can to get her there, but we could always use help.  If you're local to us, you can hire her to help out with chores, painting, dog walking, etc, then pay by making a donation so it goes directly to her travel fund.  If you're not, but you're feeling generous, a donation would definitely be appreciated.

You can get all the information at her trip page here.

JapanFest 2016 Cooler Japan #taiko #matsuriza #kabuki #pokemongo

My kids and I have gone to JapanFest for the last several years.  This year was no exception, especially since I was anticipating their 30th anniversary.  I didn't take as many photos as I usually do, but I did get a few.  These were from the floral display.

I always have to see the Taiko demonstration.  This year it was enjoyed by a slo-bro as well.

There was a Kabuki theater this year for the first time too.  I loved the performance.

There's always fun to be seen and enjoyed, whether it's the food, the goodies, or the environment.

If you happened to go to JapanFest this year, they're asking for your input.  A fairly quick survey is available from here.

Kabuki Performs at JapanFest 2016 #JapanFest #Gwinnett #family #WINTICKETS

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post.

Atlanta – At this year’s JapanFest, Kabuki Theater will be performed. Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese theater that is a rich blend of music, dance, spectacular staging and costuming. Kabuki theater has been a major theatrical form in Japan for almost four centuries. The critically acclaimed theater group Miyabiya will be travelling all the way from the land of the rising sun to perform "Two Lions," one of the most famous pieces in Kabuki theater.

Set on a holy mountain in China, a mythological lion-cub must endure the rigorous training of his father in order to grow into a strong and courageous lion. Does he have what it takes to become the “King of the Beasts?” With an entertaining combination of family, love, courage, and comedy , Miyabiya Theater will keep you on your toes!

As one of the most famous Kabuki pieces by Kawatake Mokuami, the last great Kabuki playwright, performers face high expectations in making their show both accurate and extravagant. Mr. Yukimasa Futamura, producer and director of “KABUKI, MIYABIYA” does just that with his performance company. Futamura is known for slipping into a 44-pound lion costume and wig to entertain audiences!

Come and see this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Become a part of Kabuki! This year’s JapanFest grants you the opportunity to be painted in real Kabuki makeup (Kudamori)!

In addition to Kabuki, come to JapanFest and experience the culture of Japan through a myriad of musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, food, fashion, anime, and more! Celebrating its 30th year, the JapanFest will be held Sep. 17 and 18, in the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth.

Tickets are $10. Children age 6 or younger free. Teachers can bring their students to JapanFest for free by applying online at www.japanfest.org. Larger organizations can save money by purchasing advanced ticket packages online.

No pets other than guide dogs are allowed inside the convention center. For more information, call 404-842-0736 or visit www.japanfest.org.

Sponsors:
Platinum-Delta, Gold-Aflcac, Coca Cola, Silver-Fisher-Broyles, Kumon North America, TV Japan/NHK Cosmomedia America Inc., WSBTV-Channel 2, Bronze-American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Power Equipment Division; LeafFilter; Miura America Company; PriceWaterhouse Coopers; Sapporo USA, Inc; Temple University, Japan Campus; TOTO USA Inc; FujiDexerials America Corporation, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Inside Gwinnett Magazine, Panasonic Automotive Systems, Yamaha Motor Corp.U.S.A, SakuraAtlanta Parent Magazine; Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC; Ernst & Young LLP; Global Atlanta; Gwinnett Daily Post; Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center; Creative Loafing; Honda Precision Parts of Georgia; KPMG; Nidec Elesys Americas Corporation; Toppan Printing; Ume-Atlanta Braves, Kuraoka Clinic, Machida Family of Duluth

Now to win a family 4 pack of tickets (to be delivered electronically via email)...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Announcing CoolER Japan: JapanFest 2016 #Japan #JapanFest #Gwinnett

Atlanta – Buckle your seatbelts and get ready to explore Japan like never before. This year’s JapanFest “Cooler Japan,” offers an electric combination of cool tech-advanced modern Japan with a traditional twist. JapanFest Weekend will be held on September 17-18, 2016, from 10 am to 6 pm (Saturday) and 10am to 5pm (Sunday) at the Infinite Energy Center (located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097).

JapanFest is now celebrating its 30th year and typically draws crowds exceeding 20,000.  Organized by JapanFest, Inc., The Japan-America Society of Georgia and The Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, the festival is designed to promote understanding between Japanese and Americans in the Southeast.

Celebrate JapanFest with a bang! In celebration of JapanFest’s 30th anniversary, a brand new interactive firework app is being released. Create your own fireworks on the app, and see them explode on the big screen!

We make Japanese culture COOL in our Children’s Area! Children will be able to make paper puppets and enjoy Kamishibai, a form of Japanese theatrical storytelling that uses paper puppets. They can also learn Japanese calligraphy, try on traditional Japanese clothes, make kites, color in Japanese coloring books, fold origami figures, and play with traditional Japanese tops and paper sumo wrestlers! For our modern counterpart, children will get to play with Samurai Borgs (Japanese fighting robots), Beyblade (modern Japanese tops), Hyper yoyos, and Kendama (modern cup and ball game).

Kids will also be given the opportunity to let their creativity shine. This year we will be featuring a 3-D pen that will make their art literally stand off the page! And with our 3-D aquarium, they can bring their art to life! Children will draw their fish, and after scanning it, they will be able to see their fish swim around our 3-D fish tank. Enjoy a day of family fun at JapanFest.

If you need a pick-me- up from all the fun, JapanFest Konbini store and Japanese grocery store, Tomato, are providing tasty and unique Japanese snacks!  Love music? JapanFest will feature a variety of musical performances sure to suit all ages and interests, including taiko drumming, J-Rock and J-Pop, and classical music. The festival will also feature Japanese dance performances, a kimono fashion show, and kabuki theater.

Want a selfie taken in Tokyo without the jet lag? Take a virtual trip to Japan with our Magical Photo booth. Take a picture in famous Japanese locations such as Mt. Fuji, Harajuku, or even a photo with a sumo restler! Other photo ops include the cute Japanese mascot Domo-Kun, who will be at the festival.

This will be our second year collaborating with anime convention, MomoCon. The Anime village is a section of the festival completely dedicated to anime products, anime viewings, and gaming. Keep Momocon is also sponsoring a Pokémon Go! Meetup. Capture and boost a gym, claim resources from Poke Stops and build your team, all factions welcome!

For fans of more traditional fighting methods, rather than Pokémon battles, there will be demonstrations of virtually every Japanese martial art in existence, including aikido, karate, kendo, kyudo, and sumo.

Shoppers will love the amazing array of Japanese goods available. Ginza-dori, organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia and named after Tokyo's famous shopping district, will feature Japanese ceramics, traditional Japanese clothing and accessories, and fun items such as masks and toys. For those who want to try on a kimono, the Konnichiwa Club will dress them in the latest kimonos from Japan.

Attendees are encouraged to purchase  tickets online to minimize waiting at the event entrance, as additional entrances are provided for pre-purchased ticket holders. Individual tickets are available for sale until the day before the event (Through Infinite Energy Center ticketing system, AXS).  http://www.infiniteenergycenter.com/events/detail/japanfest-2016 . The deadline for our corporate ticket package is August 10th for e-tickets https://japanfest.formstack.com/forms/ticket_package  (60 tickets and above)

Tickets are $10. Children age 6 or younger free. Teachers can bring students to JapanFest for free by applying online at www.japanfest.org. Larger organizations can purchase ticket packages online.

No pets other than guide dogs are allowed inside the convention center. For more information, call 404-842- 0736 or visit www.japanfest.org.

Sponsors:

Platinum-Delta, Gold-Aflcac, Coca Cola, Silver-Fisher- Broyles, Kumon North America, TV Japan/NHK Cosmomedia America Inc., WSBTV-Channel 2, Bronze-American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Power Equipment Division; LeafFilter; Miura America Company; PriceWaterhouse Coopers; Sapporo USA, Inc; Temple University, Japan Campus; TOTO USA Inc; Fuji-Dexerials America Corporation, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Inside Gwinnett Magazine, Panasonic Automotive Systems, Yamaha Motor Corp.U.S.A, Sakura-Atlanta Parent Magazine; Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC; Ernst &Young LLP; Global Atlanta; Gwinnett Daily Post; Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center; Creative Loafing; Honda Precision Parts of Georgia; KPMG; Nidec Elesys Americas Corporation; Toppan Printing; Ume-Atlanta Braves, Kuraoka Clinic, Machida Family of Duluth

A visit to JapanFest #Gwinnett #JapaneseCulture #FamilyFun @Infinite_Center @JapanFestAtl

My daughter and I went to Japan Fest this past Saturday.  We took along her best friend.  I stepped away from the kids and watched the Taiko Drums performed by Matsuriza.  Awesomeness!  My daughter and her friend were attracted to the new Anime Village presented by MomoCon.  We explored the center (it was PACKED) and took in some cool new things, including the Murata Boy and Namahage.  We look forward to going back next year.

Loving candy and snacks from Japan via @OyatsuCafe #review

My daughter is in to pretty much anything Japan.  I've tried Loot Crate and Nerd Block, so she asked to try one that does Japanese candy.  Of the ones that were available, I went with this one.  So far so good.

Most teen/tweens are familiar with Pocky, we received Strawberry in our box. The other candies were:

Giant Caplico (Chocolate Bomber) - an ice cream shaped candy filled with chocolate
Tohato Chocobi - star shaped choco corn snacks (Tasted kind of like a chocolate corn puff cereal)
Parikore Gummy - peach and grape shelled gummies (I sampled this one, odd texture in the shell, otherwise not bad)
Morinaga Ramune Soda candies - candy flavored like the Ramune soda (daughter has those and wasn't impressed)
Gashapon - Japanese capsule toy (daughter snatched this, it was a keychain samurai from Naruto)
HanaKappa DIY Jelly - mix it yourself jelly candy (just add water)
Hi Chew Mini - little candies in 4 flavors: strawberry, apple, grape, lemon (son sampled these - definitely fruity & chewy, but all tasted the same)
Takayaki Tei - puffs of corn flavored like balls of fried squid and batter topped with nori (actually not bad)
Puccho Kumamoto Strawberry - chewy, fruity candy made with strawberries from Kumamoto Prefecture (daughter said they're not what you would expect, but were good)
Don-Koeda Chocolate - chocolate bar made with chocolate biscuit, rice puffs, and almond (son had this one too - tasted like a Crunch bar, but healthier)

All told, I think the teens here were happy with what came in the box.  Now to give it another try and see what happens.

Japan Fest

My daughter is big on anime and most things Japan.  My son likes to explore other cultures.  As a result, we ended up at Japan Fest for part of Saturday afternoon.  We explored some of the demonstrations, including one for archery.

We wandered through the exhibits and admired the art work that went into it.  I found the bonsai club and admired what they had done.  There were some impressive specimens.

They had a room just for floral arrangements as well. These were two of my favorites.

We enjoyed lunch from Kani House. My kids had chicken teriyaki. I had shrimp tempura u-dan. We tried a Ramune soda as well. Nicely sweet, may have to check out the Buford Farmer's market to get more.  They had some games and lots of vendors.  My kids ended up with "swords" for costumes they're putting together.  My daughter got one from Disney's Kingdom Hearts called a key sword.  My son ended up with Link's sword.  It will be interesting to see what they end up doing with them.  I purchased a glass painted wind chime and a pair of hair clips.

Next stop: Anime Weekend Atlanta