with Fumi Lux

Origami is an art form and one of the oldest parts of Japanese culture. At this origami workshop, our certified origami instructors are looking forward to sharing the joy of origami folding with all the participants!

This session will be held in the same space as the Japanese Games Corner, and participants are welcome to move freely between origami and games activities throughout the session.

SJA started as Save Japanese in Arlington in May 2018, after the Arlington Public School System (APS) announced its intention to end the Japanese language program. SJA launched a student-led grassroots campaign, organizing a petition, and making an appeal at the school board meeting. The Japanese program was reinstated at all high schools in the county that school year.

To continue our grassroots promotion of Japanese language and culture in Arlington, SJA, now with a new name, Study Japanese in Arlington, became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in September 2018. We continue to create free Japanese language and cultural opportunities for residents of the DC area.

📍 B232
⏰ One hour session
🚹 30 people per session

This session will be held in the same space as the Try Origami workshop hosted by SJA, and participants are welcome to move freely between games and origami activities throughout the session.

with Kihachiro Nishiura

📍 B228
⏰ Two 30-minute sessions
🚹 10 people per session

Everyone is invited to experience the beauty and tradition of Japanese calligraphy (書道, shodō) in this hands-on, participatory workshop led by renowned artist Kihachiro Nishiura. Each participant will choose a sample kanji character from those provided, then try writing it themselves. The shodō instructors will walk around, look at participants’ work, and offer simple guidance and helpful tips. If there is a character you would especially like to write, the instructors will even prepare a sample just for you.

Although the session is short, you will be able to enjoy learning a little about calligraphy while experiencing a quiet, meditative moment through writing.

This session will be held in the same space as the yukata workshop, and participants will be able to experience both calligraphy and yukata in the span of one hour.

Kihachiro Nishiura is a descendant of Nishiura Enji, the founder of the Nishiura-yaki school of ceramics, which was highly acclaimed in the Meiji Era. His “Nishiura Style” exhibitions of incense, floral arrangements, calligraphy, and other art forms have been enthusiastically received in Japan and around the world.

with Hideko Uchiyama

📍 B228
⏰ Two 30-minute sessions
🚹 10 people per session

At this trial workshop, you will be able to try on yukata, or summer cotton kimono, under the guidance of seasoned kimono instructor Hideko Uchiyama. Uchiyama-sensei will prepare sets of yukata and obi, or sashes, for participants to enjoy trying on.

This session will be held in the same space as the SHO Calligraphy workshop, and participants will be able to experience both yukata and calligraphy in the span of one hour.

Hideko Uchiyama is a professor of the Kyoto Hakubi Kimono Academy. In the past, she has been in charge of kimono fashion shows and kimono lectures for the Sakura Princess Program. She has previously held kimono-dressing classes in the United States, including at the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC, the presenter of the National Japan Bowl.

with Sarah Morris

📍 B244
⏰ One hour session
🚹 20 people per session

Get in the festival spirit with this fun, hour-long workshop! We’ll explore the history of Yosakoi Soran, a modern traditional Japanese dance style, and learn a lively so-odori (group dance). In this session, you’ll dance a popular so-odori from Ishikawa Prefecture. Come ready to move and jump into the festival spirit!

⚠️ For this workshop, please bring water, comfortable clothes and shoes you can move and jump in, and a towel.

Sarah Morris has been dancing Yosakoi Soran since 2016. She is an instructor with six years of experience performing with 粟津おすえべ花吹雪 (Awazu Osuebe Hanafubuki), a Yosakoi Soran team from Ishikawa Prefecture that has won championship awards across Japan. Sarah has led workshops and performances in Japan for the 金沢ゆめ街道 (Kanazawa Dream Highway) festival, and in DC with the Embassy of Japan, at DC Public Schools through the Embassy Adoption Program, and at Otakon (a Japanese cultural event).

with Jessica Meagher

📍 B230
⏰ One hour session
🚹 25 people per session

American University (AU) presents a panel of students who will share stories about their experiences in Japan, moderated by study abroad advisor Jessica Meagher.

AU is a top-tier, student-centered research institution in Washington, DC, dedicated to experiential learning, public service, and global impact. AU is ranked #5 for study abroad by US News & World Report (2025) and more than 60% of our students go abroad before graduation. The School of International Service at AU is a top 10 school for international affairs programs (Foreign Policy Magazine 2024). We offer study abroad opportunities to Japan at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including semester exchange, dual degree programs, and the Sakura Scholars program, a first-of-its kind joint undergraduate degree program.