Weekend Festival Offers Visitors a Taste of Japan

The Japanese cultural event JapanFest will take place this weekend, Sept. 20 and 21, at the Gwinnett Convention Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, where a variety of traditional and contemporary elements of Japanese culture will be showcased.

Attendees may sample some of the best traditional Japanese fare from Atlanta-area restaurants while watching a taiko drum concert from Matsuriza, dance performances, and martial arts demonstrations.

Children are welcome at this event, too. They can learn to make a Japanese kite or top at one of JapanFest’s many cultural workshops, or play games at the Ginza Dori shopping arcade.

Organized by the Japan-America Society of Georgia and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, JapanFest has grown since 1981 to become one of the largest Japanese festivals in the country, attracting over 20,000 attendees in 2013. The event was launched to promote multicultural education and foster social harmony.

Tickets to this weekend’s festival are $8, and children aged 6 and below can enter for free. Groups and class trips can apply for advance ticketing discounts on the event webpage.

»Photo Credit: Noma.org