Harrison Japanese Festival

June 8th Sunday 2025

On Sunday, June 8th, we held the Harrison Japanese Festival at Ma Riis Park in front of the Harrison Town Hall. Under a blue and sunny sky, an estimated 2,000 people attended.

Event/Stage

We hosted performances by a total of 11 groups, featuring Japanese cultural acts such as karate, kendo, and bon dance, as well as singing and musical performances. Each performance received loud cheers and applause, creating a lively atmosphere throughout the venue.

Thanks to the generous prize contributions from our sponsors, we were able to hold seven events across four formats: two rock-paper-scissors tournaments, two quiz contests, two ball-toss games, and a raffle for Bingo Task Rally completers. Prizes included meal vouchers from Hajime Japanese Restaurant, free airport transfer coupons from ON-TIME LIMOUSINE, and free lesson vouchers from Rye Racquet Club.

Event Team Leader: Mei Maehara, Vice Event Team Leader: Hina Kamada

Game booth

We operated a total of eight game booths: ring toss, whack-a-mole, corinth game, shuriken shooting gallery, super ball scooping, coin drop, target throwing run by Sakura Gakuen, and yo-yo fishing run by JETANY. Tickets for the eight games and one cultural booth sold approximately $4,500.

This year, many of the games were rebuilt from scratch using wood and nails with the goal of "connecting to the future," resulting in a stable and durable game booth operation.

Gaming Team Leader: Kanta Oka, Vice Gaming Team Leader: Kousuke Minami

Food

We welcomed a total of seven food booths, including okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and drinks sold by Oishimbo, as well as cotton candy by Sakura Gakuen, takoyaki by Karls Balls, popcorn by the Harrison Fire Department, and pastries by Tomiz.

Food Team Leader: Iroha Kawata

We operated a total of six cultural booths: calligraphy, origami, Japanese toys, photo booth, shibori dyeing, and a sword booth run by Manami Palmini. Most booths were free of charge, allowing visitors to enjoy them casually.

The calligraphy and shibori dyeing booths were particularly popular, giving local visitors the opportunity to experience Japanese culture firsthand.

Culture Team Leader: Sei Shinozaki, Vice Culture Team Leader: Miho Masumura

Culture

Click to see our 2024/2025 Event Report Click to see our 2025/2026 Festival Leaders

Sponsor

We displayed pamphlets and posters from our supporting sponsors to promote them. This year, we also created original fans featuring sponsor logos, which were distributed to visitors on what was a very hot day.

Sponsor Team Leader: Kent Koyama, Vice Sponsor Team Leader: Aoi

Special Earthquake Exhibit

This year, we displayed information panels on four major earthquakes in Japan: the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The donation box at the earthquake booth collected approximately $40.