Organization: JAPAN AMERICA SOCIETY OF COLORADO
Mission: Japan America Society of Colorado is dedicated to supporting people to people relationships between Colorado and Japan by serving as a bridge to connect via business, education, civic, and cultural opportunities. We are dedicated to promoting positive U.S.-Colorado-Japan relations through developing relationships.
Activities: In 2019 we hosted our 6th Annual Japanese Kite Festival. In anticipation of this festival, we spend the days leading up to the event in Denver Public Schools teaching students to make Japanese kites using traditional supplies brought from Japan such as hand-cut bamboo and washi paper. We visited a new high school this year where we worked with over 100 students. We brought in an Edo Kite Master from Japan who led all of the workshops. In 2019 we served more than 800 local students who would not normally have the opportunity to experience Japanese culture. The festival in the park served more than 300 people who flew kites and watched our Kite Master fly his amazing creations.
The Japan Cup language competition is a signature event of Japan America Society of Colorado. In 2019 we hosted more than 120 students for this fun-filled day of knowledge, culture, and sharing. Students are able to showcase their knowledge of Japanese reading, writing, current events, history, and culture. In addition, we provide several interactive cultural activities for the students to experience. Each student gets a goody bag, t-shirt, and prizes for the top finishers. This program uses approximately 50 volunteers who are experts in various Japanese related industries. These volunteers serve as resources for students to learn how they can use their language ability in the future.
In addition to our regularly scheduled cultural programming, we executed one of our largest cultural programs to date with "Sumo in Colorado!". This event, normally strictly a fundraiser for the organization, allowed us to expand and offer general admission tickets to open the event to the wider public at large. With the assistance of USA Sumo, we hosted 9 sumo exhibition matches with former professional sumo wrestlers from Japan. Over 400 people attended this event and learned the history and culture of sumo wrestling in Japan. This event was a resounding success.
NTEE category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Secondary category: Recreation & Sports