Manawatu students were able to experience Japanese life at a cultural festival last week.
The Bunkasai festival, hosted by tertiary institution IPU New Zealand, saw attendance from 100 high school students.
Bunkasai are common cultural festivals in Japan that allow students to showcase their artistic achievements. It is the first time IPU New Zealand has hosted the event.
The students took part in calligraphy, origami, Japanese games, drumming, a tea ceremony, and eating Japanese food.
Brendon Chapple, the head of Japanese at Awatapu College, one of the schools in attendance, said the day was an excellent opportunity for students to experience Japanese culture. With borders closed due to Covid-19, schools haven’t been able to organise overseas exchange trips.
“At the moment we can’t take students to Japan on trips to experience Japan first hand, but this is the next best thing,” Chapple said.
“We get them together and experience the culture. We want to encourage students to continue studying Japanese after high school, not just see it as a subject they do at high school.
“Hopefully some of them go to Japan in the future.”
