The Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center will be hosting their annual Japanese Festival this weekend, summoning all Japan enthusiasts to come and celebrate the culture through food, games, music and dance.
The festival will offer different activities and events such as taiko drum performances and ondo, a type of communal folk dancing usually performed during summer Buddhist festivals called Obon. Attendees are encouraged to participate in the ondo, even if they have never performed it.
The Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center has served the local Japanese American community for over 65 years and works to preserve cultural traditions. Along with hosting public events, the center also offers youth and adult classes in the Japanese language, martial art lessons and Long Beach’s Taiko Drum organization.
The free festival takes place Saturday, June 24 from 3:00PM to 9:00PM and Sunday, June 25 from 3:00PM to 8:00PM.
For more information on the festival and the center, click here.
The Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center is located at 1766 Seabridge Avenue.
Above, left photo courtesy of LBJCC.