Photo courtesy of Autumn Gebhardt ’26
Elizabeth Murray ’26
Features Editor
Japan Night at Mount Holyoke College was held for the second time in 26 years in Chapin Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 20. Hosted by the Japanese Culture Club, Japan Night is a celebration of Japanese culture featuring performances by students, a fashion show and a festival with games and food.
The theme of the night was “The Springtime of Youth,” with board members, performers and volunteers dressed in Japanese high school uniforms. A Bunkasai followed the performance. A Bunkasai is a festival held in Japanese high schools that features food, games and prizes to be won, adding to the youthful energy of the night.
The two co-chairs, Hana Takahashi ’28 and and Sakura Wakui ’28, opened the night’s performance with the land acknowledgement, before welcoming the audience, introducing the JCC Board and encouraging the crowd to use the glowsticks left on their chairs to cheer on the performers.
The first two performances were dances, one by student group Cindi, Linda, Tooba, Jourden and Christy to “Ringo” by ITZY. Then ODotteMita, the Five Colleges-based J-pop dance team, took the stage to dance two numbers, “Live Beautifully” and "Moonwalker.” This was followed by two naginata showcases by Kachimushi Naginata. Naginata is a traditional Japanese martial art dating back to the middle ages. The first showcase was a choreographed performance, and the second a sparring match.
Following these first three performances, another student played a piano medley of famous music from several iconic Ghibli films, like “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle,” followed by a duet performance by the JCC co-chairs. They performed “Sukidakara” by Yuika, a song about two high school students with feelings for each other but who don’t know how to act on it. The JCC Board then followed up with a dance number to several famous Jpop songs, including “Koi” by Gen Hoshino, “Night Dancer” by Imase, “Otana Blue” by Atarashii Gako!, “Sukisugite Metsu” by M!lk and “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie” by AKB-48.
The performance part of the night concluded with a fashion show. The first half of the fashion show was dedicated to traditional Japanese fashion, with the latter half to more modern styles.
Once the performances ended, the Bunkasai began with ticket holders able to play games for prizes, enjoy some food and mingle for the rest of the evening.
When asked for a comment, Takahashi said, “We were so glad that people were able to have fun and enjoy Japanese culture with us! This is only the second Japan Night in the last 26 years. We didn’t have a lot to build off of, but we’re so glad that the night was successful! We hope to continue to celebrate Japanese culture with everyone through future Japan Nights! Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the Bunkasai!”
Jillian Stammely ’28 contributed fact-checking.