Japan doesn’t get many travelers from Tennessee, although some 190 employers of Japanese origin have hired nearly 50,000 Tennesseans with another 150,000 jobs sustained indirectly. If you can’t make the trans-Pacific jaunt to say thankya verra much (doumo arigatou gozaimasu), there is a way to sample Japanese culture this month — at the Memphis Japan Festival on the grounds of the Memphis Botanic Garden September 30th.
The commercial presence of Japan in the state gained a foothold in Memphis in the mid-1970s with Datsun Forklift. When the Memphis in May International Festival got going in its present form, it chose Japan as its first honored country in 1977. Industrial giants like Sharp and Mitsubishi came later, and Memphis in May played a role in bringing them here, honoring Japan again in 1986.
The festival is presented by the Japan-America Society of Tennessee that, along with the Botanic Garden, are the nonprofit beneficiaries of the event. It’s a daylong family-oriented celebration with music, dance, martial arts, cuisine, and more, but the underlying purpose is to boost the region to prospective investors as a welcoming business location.
More than 5,000 people attended last year and organizers are hoping even more will come by this year to take in traditional and contemporary Japanese music and dance, martial arts demonstrations, cultural lectures, arts and crafts, merchandise, children’s activities, sumo-suit wrestling, a cosplay contest, a roving Japanese Candyman, and a variety of Japanese cuisine featuring special menus from local restaurants and food trucks.
Here’s the lineup:
JIM DUNCAN STAGE
- Daikin Taiko Drum Team
- Hey, Listen!
- Kent Family Magic Circus
- Musesouth
- Nozomi
- Opera Memphis
- Sol Kendamas
- The Maguire Twins
- University of Memphis Japanese Dance Circle
MARTIAL ARTS
- Fudoshinka Dojo Kenpo Karate
- Memphis Kendo Club
- Mid-South Aikido
- United States Naginata Federation
For more information, check out memphisjapanfestival.org and www.facebook.com/MemphisJapanFestival.
The Memphis Botanic Garden is at 750 Cherry Road. Festival admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children 2-12 years old. Admission is free for Memphis Botanic Garden members and for children under 2. Admission includes the Memphis Japan Festival and Memphis Botanic Garden, including the Origami in the Garden exhibit. The special discounted admission prices are available September 30th only. Guests enter the festival through the North Gate. Parking is free in the north lot. No pets allowed and the festival goes on rain or shine.
