2023 Oita Japan Festival - A Celebration of Japanese Culture in Austin (Japanese Food & Drink, Kids Activities, Taiko, Origami, Dancing..) #OitaATXNEW

The 2023 Oita Japan Festival is a celebration of Japanese Culture in Austin, Texas. It will be held on Sunday, September 10, 2023, from 11am to 4pm at the Austin American-Statesman Center.

The festival will feature a variety of Japanese food, drink, and activities, including:
• Japanese food and drink vendors
• Kids' activities, such as origami and shodo calligraphy
• Cultural education, such as a tea ceremony and a talk about Japanese gardens
• Performances, such as a kendo demonstration, a JPOP concert, and a taiko drumming performance

About the Festival 
The purpose of the festival is to promote understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture in Austin. It is also a way to celebrate the friendship between Austin and Oita, Japan, which have been sister cities since 1987.

Here are some additional details about the festival
• The festival will be held rain or shine.
• There will be limited parking available at the Austin American-Statesman Center. Public transportation is encouraged.
• The festival is family-friendly. Children under 2 years old are admitted free.

Celebrate the culture of Japan at the Oita Japan Festival!

Festival Date
September 10, 2023, Sunday

Time
Doors open at 11am, performances 12-4pm

DUE TO CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS, ADDITIONAL WRISTBANDS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR AS GUESTS EXIT, AFTER 1 PM.
No refunds.
• Adult (age 13+) - $14.99 online, $20 at door
• Child (age 3-12) - $9.99 online, $15 at door
• Child (age 2 and under) - FREE!

Highlights
11 am - Doors Open
12 pm - Welcome Ceremony hosted by CBS Austin’s Adela Uchida
• Mayor Kirk Watson
• Consul General Hirofumi Murabayashi
• Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, District 2
• Council Member Jose “Chito” Vela, District 4
• Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, District 6
• Judge Aurora Martinez Jones, 126th Travis County District Court

12:30 pm - Tea Ceremony, The Japanese Way of Tea with Central Texas Chado with Rhonda Rolf
1 pm - Doing Business with Japan with JETRO and GAACC
1:15 pm - Austin Kendo
1:35 pm - JPOP Melancholiaah
2 pm - Dark Circle Sumo
2:15 pm - The Nature and Spirit of Japanese Gardens with Molly Ogorzaly
2:25 pm - Asia Pacific University Dancer
2:40 pm - Minyo Dancers
3:00 pm - Austin Taiko
3:30 pm - Hideo Yamanouchi from Tesshin Daiko
3:30 pm - Uroko How to Make Sushi Demo

Food and Drink Vendors
• Kome & SaTen
• Asahi Groceries & Gifts
• Texas Sake
• Experience Japan Activities
• Whisk Your Own Matcha with AJC
• Shodo Calligraphy
• Water YoYo
• Origami
• Kendama Japanese Skill Toy
• Gator Panic Game
• Japanese Mahjong
• Basic Japanese Conversation with JASGA
• Artisan Marketplace & Vendors
• Oita Products
• Okasan
• SA Asian Gifts
• Sachi Creation
• Madame Butterfly Nagasaki
• Jackie Rivera Art
• Zen Art Calligraphy
• Family Room
• JAL Origami Plane

Sponsors
• JAL
• Best of Austin Living Team at Keller Williams Realty
• Texas Sake
• H-E-B
• Locke Lord LLP
• PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Asahi
• Kome & SaTen
• First Texas Honda
• Kinokuniya Bookstore
• Bruce Gardner Insurance & Investments
• Community Partners
• Austin-Oita Sister City Committee (AOSCC)
• Austin Sister Cities International (ASCI)
• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
• Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC)
• World Affairs Council of Austin (WACA)
• Austin Japan Community (AJC)
• Japan-America Society of Greater Austin (JASGA)
• Austin History Center