Students can learn about feudal Japan and sample traditional
Eastern dishes tonight at “Japan Night 2004: Time Trip to
Edo,” presented by the Japanese Student Association.

The evening is centered around a performance at Meacham
Auditorium in Oklahoma Memorial Union. The event will feature
martial arts, dancing, singing and traditional takio drums all
connected under a central storyline, said Taro Yanagisawa, finance
junior and president of JSA.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the performance begins at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $6 in advance and $9 at the door.

After the play, everyone will walk to the Jim Thorpe
Multicultural Center for a Japanese dinner, including udon noodles,
sushi and a dessert called anmitsu, Yanagisawa said.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to get a glance of
Japanese history and the way Japanese students view it,” said
Walter Shannon, professional writing senior.

Shannon, who stars in the play, said it concerns an American
college student who travels back in time to 1850s Japan after
accidentally inhaling incense at a Japanese temple.

Andrew Goodwin, computer engineering junior, said he is starring
as Admiral Perry and an insurgent samurai in the story. The
organization has been preparing the play—which will include a
sword battle—since last semester, he said.

“It’s nothing death-defying, but it’ll be a
pretty good show for college students,” Goodwin said.

Strict shogunate rule characterized the Edo Period, which lasted
from 1603 to 1867, when the rebellious sankoku-ha restored imperial
rule, said Hirokazu Taguchi, journalism graduate student.

This is the first year the Japan Night performances have taken
place under a unifying theme, Taguchi said.

Taguchi said anyone who is interested in Japanese culture should
attend. He said he hopes for a turnout of over 200.

“Anyone who’s interested in broadening their
cultural horizons should attend Japan Night to get a taste of what
the Far East is like,” Goodwin said.
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