JSFC Fall Festival 2025

The Japan Society of Fairfield County held its Fall Festival on Saturday, September 6 2025 on Jesup Green, outside the Westport Library. We were able to present most of our program before having to cut it short. We were monitoring the weather radar reports, and could see an approaching storm of heavy rains and wind. This would have been dangerous for our attendees and participants, so we warned our audience, stopped our program, and packed up and took down our tents as quickly as possible.

The festival was kicked off with the rousing sounds of Japanese taiko drumming by New York Taiko Aiko Kai of the Taiko Society of Teacher’s College, Columbia University. They played again later in the festival. We then heard greetings from JSFC president Jackie Alexander, Ms. Aya Tonai, Deputy Director of the Japan Information Center, and First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker.

Jackie Alexander

President, JSFC

Ms. Aya Tonai, Deputy Director,

Japan Information Center

Jennifer Tooker

First Selectwoman of Westport

For the first time at one of our Fall Festivals, we presented ikebana demontrations. JSFC had the honor to have these demonstrations narrated by Judith Setsuko Hata, Ms. Hata, who celebrated her 100th birthday last July, was elected president of Ikebana International New York Chapter for multiple terms and has held active board positions for almost 60 consecutive years. In 2017 she was decorated by the government of Japan with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.

The ikebana arrangements were made by ikebana experts Roxane Wasserman, Connie Marchetti , and Shizue Pleasanton.

Martial arts demonstrations were presented by Aikido of Norwalk and Pound Ridge Jodo.

For over 20 years Aikido of Norwalk (Kongōshinkan Dōjō ) has been providing training in the Japanese martial art of Aikido. Their classes are conducted in a traditional manner. Class sizes are small with a high level of personalized attention. They are also a Corporate Sponsor of the Japan Society of Fairfield County, and chief instructor Dr. Robert Brody is a member of our Board of Directors.

Pound Ridge Jodo gave a demonstration of the martial art Shintō Musō-ryū (SMR). SMR is a Jodo style of stick fighting. The Jo is a 7/8" diameter stick approximately 50 1/4" long and used against an opponent who is armed with a wooden sword. "Shintō Musō-ryū, or Shindō Musō-ryū, is a traditional school of the Japanese martial art of jōjutsu, or the art of wielding the short staff. The technical purpose of the art is to learn how to defeat a swordsman in combat using the jō, with an emphasis on proper combative distance, timing and concentration.

Two brief "balloon" plays were performed. These plays, based on Japanese folk tale, are produced, written, and narrated by Emma Oshiro. She makes original props out of twisted balloons. One play, titled Obon season & the Water Lantern Festival, is about a follower of Buddha called Mokuren-san. Through his unselfish acts, his mother and other suffering spirits were saved. The resulting celebration was the beginning of the Ulambana Festival in India. In Japan, Ulambana combined with the tradition of honoring ancestors and became the Obon Holiday. During Obon, the spirits of the ancestors are welcomed home. At the end of Obon, people light a fire – called the “Okuri-bi” or the departure fire. Lanterns are lit and placed in a river so the spirits can go back safely. At the origami table, children could make paper lanterns to celebrate this custom. Also, Emma Oshiro brought a display to explain Obon.

Mokuren-san and his mother rejoice.

Paper lantern

Origami Tanuki head

The second balloon play was Raccoons of Shojo Temple. (The Japanese animal tanuki, or raccoon dog, is actually more closely related to the fox than to the North American raccoon). The raccoons lived in Shojo Temple, and scared away any monks who tried to live there by turning themselves into ghosts. This frightened away most monks. Finally, a new monk came who was not afraid of the raccoon ghosts, and became friends with them. At the origami table, people could make an origami tanuki head.

Raccoons frightening away first monk

Raccoon ghosts failing to frighten second monk

Raccoons dancing with second monk

The audience was invited to join in Japanese Bon dances, which were led by Bon-Dan NYC. Bon-Dan NYC is a dance group for Bon-Odori, traditional Japanese folk dance, established in 2019 based in New York City.

Kyoto Murai accompanying dancing on shamisen

ACTIVITIES: Several activities were available during the festival:

Kai Stern of the Clear Lake Zen Garland Order led Seiza meditation sessions. Seiza (quiet sitting) was established by Okada Torajiro Sensei about 110 years ago in Japan. At our festival, Seiza was practiced while sitting on a chair.
Origami: As mentioned above, making paper Obon lanterns and tanuki (raccoon heads) was taught at the origami table. Other origami such as samurai (kabuto) hats, dogs and cats, cranes and paper cups were also available.
Aikido of Norwalk and the Clear Lake Zen Garland Order had information tables.
"Yoyo fishing" Balloons, each with a rubber string, float in a small pool of water. Players "fish" for the loop at the end of the rubber string with a hook at the end of a twisted paper string. As the wet paper line breaks easily, the game is harder than it looks. Once you catch a balloon, you can bounce it from the rubber string like a yoyo.
Tom McCarthy demonstrated the game of Go, a board game for two players
Next door at the calligraphy table, Sensei Yumi McCarthy, who teaches Japanese online for CT State Community college, (or her assistant Shizuka Nihei) wrote people's names for them in Japanese characters.
We had an information table for our Sakura Manbon project. Sakura (桜、さくら) means Japanese Cherry Blossom. It is the national flower of Japan, a harbinger of spring whose fleeting blossoms represent the fragility of life. They are a symbol of renewal and optimism. Manbon（万）means 10,000, which is a figurative way to say “many!” This is our project to raise money to plant cherry blossom trees .
In our JSFC information tent we sold Japanese candy donated by Maruichi Japanese Food & Deli in Stamford, and green tea donated by Walter Stewart's Market of New Canaan, as well as water and soda. There was also a tag sale of items donated to us.

Yoyo fishing pool

Fishing for a yoyo

Norwalk Aikido Information

Clear Lake Zen Information

Game of Go, and Japanese calligraphy

We had many vendors this year, offering a variety of Japan-related items. A new and fun vendor was Gotcha - Capsule Toys & Figures. Their tent contained all types of Gotchapon vending machines, which dispense capsule toys. You buy tokens (3/$10), put one or 2 in a Gotchapon machine and you are guaranteed to get a prize. All items in a machine are similarly priced, but it’s random as to which prize comes out. Another vendor combining a game with a product was Lindsay Jimenez. Ms.Jimenez has written several books (in both English and Spanish) teaching Japanese Kanji characters.