Students celebrate Japanese culture

Published 11:19 am Tuesday, May 22, 2012

What started as a fundraiser to help Japan recover from its devastating earthquake and tsunami has turned into a tradition in the Issaquah School District.

On Saturday, hundreds of students from Skyline, Issaquah and Liberty high schools hosted the district’s second annual Japanese Festival — this year at Skyline.

“The nice thing I find with the students in the Japanese program is they’re very self-motivated,” said Skyline teacher Tammy Haldeman. “They aren’t getting any credit for doing this. This isn’t like ‘Oh, here’s your project, you only get so many points if you do this.'”

Students lined the old Spartan gymnasium with a variety of booths, immersing the community in Japanese foods, arts and entertainment.

There was face painting, artists drawing anime portraits, tea tasting, video game stations and a wide array of food, ranging from teriyaki hot dogs to miso soup.

Students also performed a variety of exhibitions throughout the three-hour expo in the Skyline commons. Performances included a demonstration of the ancient Japanese martial art Aikido, various skits, Japanese-themed game shows and a presentation of Rajio Taiso — or the calisthenics many Japanese citizens do before starting a work day.

Haldeman was pleased at the effort and time put forth by all of the students.

“The kids pretty much do all the work and this is a really nice day they’re sacrificing,” she said. “They just like being together and experiencing food and culture.”

The inaugural event was held last year at Issaquah High School and is scheduled to be at Liberty next year.

Lauren Brown sketches an anime drawing of a classmate on Saturday.

Skyline student Victoria Snitsar demonstrates an Aikido takedown on Issaquah’s Jack Wheeler.

Skyline’s Ali Bedbury paints a Pokemon figure on the face of classmate Danny Kim.