By D’Amonie Armstrong

We have finally had the chance to visit the JICC (Japan Information and Culture Center) and see the haiku and flower exhibit for ourselves. Hearing that some of our peers’ works were featured was one thing, but seeing it in person, next to the other wondrous art work, made us very proud of ourselves and confident in our journey. We have been trying to further understand our relationship, our bond as it is tied to Japanese culture. Therefore, we have taken this step to get involved with celebrations that allow us to branch out and retain that knowledge.

Upon arrival, I specifically felt eager about seeing the exhibit as a whole. The set up intrigued me, as it was my first time there. The building is beautifully compact with so much information about Japanese culture and events here in DC. When we met with Aki Regan, she had us go in through the side doors. I felt like we were a very special group, and I thank Aki, Atsushi Iwai, and JICC as a whole for the special treatment, and making sure we were accommodated and could find our art. 

Although there were a specific number of students chosen to be on display, they had a slideshow of everyone’s work, so everyone was represented. The way I thought the exhibit looked exceeded whatever I had imagined — it was beautiful. Each wall was a different flower, with its themes. My favorite part of the showcase was that we saw a variety of talent. Work in the form of just paintings, traditionally with a painting and a haiku, or like us, with just a haiku. I appreciate the JICC for their diversity in schools and programs that they included in the exhibit. It shows the city-wide interest in Japanese culture. There was work from young elementary schoolers to advanced high schoolers. 

Apart from an exhibit, they had games, ancient artifacts, and a showcase of traditional Okinawan dances by kids our age and younger. I had the pleasure of staying for the performance portion of the celebration. It was nice to see traditional dances that expressed how children years ago had fun. That day, we learned of the holiday, Children’s Day, where the day is taken to respect and celebrate the happiness of all the children. Aki also told me about this custom, Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3), where children of the ages 3, 5, and 7 are brought to a Shinto shrine, by their families, to thank and pray to Gods to protect them and ensure a long healthy life. The artifact present was one of the things they prayed to. In the performance, the children had these traditional drums, some hand sized, others as big as cellos!

The rhythmic beat which the children mirrored with their drums was great! I took a great liking to it all. Also, the girl who did karate demonstrations was great! Her technique and form was everything! I had a lot of fun that day and again was highly proud of myself and my peers.

I’m truly grateful for the sort of experience and exposure we got from the workers at the JICC. It wasn’t only a visit about haikus but about our city’s relationship with Japanese culture. As we go on with our journey, we will stay determined to continue to always cherish the relationships that we make. One more great big thanks to the JICC for having us be a part of such an incredible project and please stay in touch!