• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Valida Pau Features, News and FeaturesApril 20, 2022

Japan Club’s Hana Matsuri Celebrates Spring

Photo courtesy of Valida Pau.

As cherry blossom trees grew beautiful flowers on Wellesley’s campus, the Japan Club celebrated spring and Japanese culture with its flower festival, Hana Matsuri, on April 17. 

“We used to have a Snow Festival around mid-February [but] because of COVID-19 and restrictions on food and capacity, it takes a while for the Office of Student Involvement to approve our event so we decided to have a flower festival instead,” said Takami Harano ’25, Japan Club’s co-cultural chair. 

To accurately replicate the celebration, Japan Club set up booths, activities and performances representing elements of Japanese traditions and cultures.

The night was officially kicked off by Nihon Buyou, a traditional Japanese dance performed by professional dancer Michiko Kurata. Following the dance, Wellesley Shotokan Karate members performed two Japanese rock songs. 

In between three shows of the evening, participants toured the 11 booths and learned more about Japanese culture. They had the chance to fold paper cranes with origami paper and write calligraphy. They also played games like ring toss for prizes and competed with friends by showing off their use of chopsticks.

Japan Club showcased new elements at this year’s festival. Harano said, “We have a new booth for this year, the J-Pop music booth, to get more people to know about Japanese popular music.” 

At the same time, the newly formed Anime Club debuted with their booth at the festival. 

“Our entire e-board worked on setting up games and producing merchandise since January for the booth. We are enthusiastic about Hana Matsuri to promote anime and Japanese culture to everyone,” said Lina Zhang ’25, on Anime Club’s committee team.

To address current dining restrictions at Wellesley events, the club gave out free bento boxes, with a variety of choices like chicken, pork or horse mackerel katsu, mapo tofu, ground meat and curry; served with dorayaki, a Japanese sweet pastry. 

“We want to let people know more about Japanese cuisine and how it is unique,” said Harano.

The night ended with Olin Fire Arts’ spectacular flame performance and the Japan Club’s e-board dance. 

“It is difficult to recreate a sense of the real Hana Matsuri, exactly like in Japan. However, since it has been a long time [since an in-person gathering], we just hope to bring people together with Hana Matsuri.” shared Harano.

Tags

hana matsurijapan club

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleProfessor Kaleb Goldschmitt becomes the first tenured non-binary professor at Wellesley
Next articleFruits of Labor: An Intimate Look into the lives of Farmworkers

You may also like

The Wellesley (COVID) 100

In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays

Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top