JapanFest Weekend will be held on September 19-20, 2009, from 10 am to 6 pm (Saturday) and 10am to 5pm (Sunday) at the Convention Center at Gwinnett Center (located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097).

JapanFest, now in its 23rd year, is the largest Japanese festival east of Houston and south of Washington, DC, and typically draws crowds exceeding 18,500. Organized by The Japan-America Society of Georgia, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, and the Consulate General of Japan, JapanFest is designed to promote understanding between Japanese and Americans in the Southeast.

Tickets are $8, children age 6 or younger free. Teachers can bring their students to JapanFest for free by applying online. Larger organizations can save money by purchasing advanced ticket packages online.

The theme of this year's festival is Cool Japan. "Cool Japan" is a term that describes the growing international interest in Japanese culture, especially in the realms of fashion, anime, music, cuisine, and technology. JapanFest 2009 will explore these aspects of modern Japanese pop culture through a modern kimono fashion show, anime screenings, fun Japanese foods such as shaved ice and plenty of sushi, a Japanese car show, the latest products manufactured right here in Georgia by Japanese companies, and more!

God of Shamisen, the world's first rock band to combine elements of metal, funk, and progressive rock with the Tsugaru-Shamisen, a fretless lute from Northern Japan, will headline JapanFest 2009. Effectively merging the cultures of east and west, this mostly-instrumental outfit is unleashing a unique sound and a worldwide perspective to battle conventional music.

Thanks to

for sponsoring God of Shamisen and presenting a seminar filled with useful tips for traveling to Japan!!

Matsuriza and Chambers County Taiko will shake things up with taiko drumming, and Madoca will present her blend of jazz, fusion, and funk. Lisa Furukawa will soothe your soul with her unique fusion of folk, pop, electronica, and classical music.

If you are interested in dance, JapanFest has it all. Hiko no Kai, Nishizaki Suiga no Kai, Smyrna School of Ballet (SSB), Sho No Ryuand International Mai no Kai will present graceful classical Japanese and Okinawan dance, while young gymnasts from Golden Ribbon Rhythmic Gymnastics will show off their amazing flexibility. The Nebula Dance Theater will perform jazz, modern dance and ballet sell to Japanese music, and the Breakdance Club at Georgia State University will present a fusion of western and Japanese culture. And all are invited to join in the spirited Bon dance!

If you have always wanted to try on an authentic Japanese kimono, Konnichiwa Club will dress you from head to toe in the latest kimono from Japan. Shimazakura will host a kimono fashion show that will highlight the variety of ways to wear this incredibly beautiful and flexible piece of clothing.

JapanFest will have a wide variety of workshops, featuring the arts of bonsai trees and flower arranging, the history of kimono, tea ceremony, and even seminars about traveling to Japan.

For fans of martial arts, JapanFest 2009 will feature demonstrations of virtually every Japanese martial art in existence. Aikido Center of Atlanta and Aikido School of Athens will demonstrate this art of using an attacker's own strength against him to defend oneself. Georgia Kyudo Renmei will demonstrate the artistry of Japanese archery, while Miki Judo Club will demonstrate the elements of the gGentle Way.h The Georgia Sumo Association will host the 5th Annual Georgia Sumo Open, and World Yoshukai Karate Kobudo Organization and Trammell Fitness and Martial Arts will teach you the techniques behind the art of karate.

Visitors can purchase an amazing array of Japanese goods, including books, kimono, Japanese tea, dolls, and rice paper. The Japan-America Society of Georgia will have t-shirts and temporary tattoos; the Ginza-dori, organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia and named after Tokyo's famous shopping district, will feature Japanese ceramics, traditional Japanese clothing and accessories and fun items such as masks and toys; at the Bazaar on Sunday organized by the Georgia Japanese Language School you will find books and household goods. Atlanta Okinawa Kenjin Kai will sell traditional Okinawan items.

Omikoshi is Open to all children!!!
For more information, stop by at the Omikoshi booth near the MIG (Made in Georgia)!

Kids will have a fantastic time experiencing Japanese culture firsthand. In our Children's Area, they can pain their own Japanese lantern or fan, and the Suburban Atlanta Kite Enthusiasts will be on hand to teach them how to make a Japanese kite. They can get out all their energy jumping on our Hello Kitty moonwalk, before enjoying special Japanese shaved ice, called kakigoori. The Ginza Dori shopping arcade has tons of games and activities for kids as well, such as ting toss, water yo-yos, Japanese toys, and more!

Many of the Japanese companies based in Georgia will display their products in the Made in Georgia exhibition. 2008 participants included Hoshizaki America, Inc., JETRO Atlanta, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation, Murata Electronics North America, Inc., Seigakuin Atlanta International School, TDK Components USA Inc, TOTO U.S.A. Inc., Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America, Yanmar America Corporation.

JapanFest features the best of Japanese cuisine in Atlanta! Alice Bakery, Shoya Izakaya, Suno, Sushi Niko Niko, Sushi Yoko, Taka Sushi Café, Tomato, Umezono, and Waraku will offer a tantalizing menu of bento lunch boxes, sushi, kakigori (shaved ice), curry rice, rice bowls, udon and somen noodles, oden, yakisoba noodles, and more!

We're looking forward to seeing you at JapanFest 2009!

Special thanks to all our volunteers and participants!
Takuya Aizawa
Masayo Arai
Katsumi Arms
Naomichi Asari
Rie Atkinson
Packy Bannevans
Theron Bennett
Angelina Boey
Greg and Meredith Boos
Yoshie Brandt
Maki Brown
Rick Cantu
Mizuki Chang
Il-poong Chi
Mark Chirchirillo
Greg Clark
Yumi Colwell
Steve Cseplo
Roki Cutno
Jean-Marc de Foucault
Yoshi Domoto
Jocelyn Dorsey
Akemi English
Micah Epstein
Mitsuki Farsky
Takeshi Fukuda
Lisa Furukawa
Charles Ganz
Marc Garduque
Motoe Haller
Naokuni Hamaya
Yoko Harrison
Megumi Hirohara
Brandon Hobson
Hiko Hodorowski
Cassandra Hougdahl
Kyle Huff
Joseph Huntemann
Hiroyuki Inoue
Mariko Ishikawa
Yuko Ishikura
Kassie Itakura
Makoto Ito
Elaine and Hiroshi Jo
Hitoshi Kawaguchi
George Kennedy
Daniel Kim
Daiji Kira
Ken Knight
Hiroshi Kodama
Sachi Koto
Yukimi Kurata
Shinichi Kusanagi
Day Lancaster
Austin Lawry
Alex Lee
Kazumi and Forrest Leedy
Lucas Leverett
Kayoko Lewis
Paul Maclardy
Mariko Masui
Greg Matsumoto
George Mattar
Cynthia Mc Cranie
Jason Merrill
Tsutomu Miki
Maki Miyagawa
Hideaki Miyake
Maki Murahashi
Ian Murray
Hitomi Nakata
Akiko Nakata
Atsuo Nishikata
Jim Nolan
Shunichiro Norimine
Nobuhiro Okada
Takashi Otsuka
Inbae Park
Sherman Phillips
Asako Pradhan
Madoca Redd
Sue Renfroe
Mary Alice Rhodes
Anna Rosato
Keiichi Saito
Takeshi Saito
Norihiro Sasayama
Masayuki Shimizu
Shinji Takahashi
Yoichi Takanashi
Kumi Takano
Maiko Takara
Megumi Takei
Kazumi Tamura
Hirohiko Tanaka
Naoko Tanaka
Tomoko Tanaka
Mark Thornton
Mark Tomitaka
Richard Trammell
Tsuyoshi Tsuboi
Akio Ueda
Naomi (Lisa) Uetsuki
Jennifer Vanderloop
Aiko Whiting
Masato Yamada
Toyoko Yamada
Kenichi Yamaguchi
Masako Yamakami
Kazuhiko Yamakita
Tom Yamamoto
Motohisa Yamaoka
Hiroshi Yamashita
Hirotaka Yata
Tatsuya Yokoyama
Kazuhiro Yoshida
Kinuyo Youngblood
Joe Zhou