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The Australia Japan Association of SA’s association with Burnside library goes back at least to 2008, when AJA members attended a small Japanese day in March 2008 for an ikebana and sushi-making demonstration. In early 2009 we attended the opening of the online catalogue of Japanese books.
On that occasion there was a Scottish Cultural Day and AJA President Jim Stewart talked to Sharon Downing about the possibility of holding a Japanese Cultural Day. Sharon made it possible, and from 2009 to 2022 the Burnside Library-AJA partnership went from strength to strength.
Also in 2009 AJA was asked by the Japanese Consulate in Melbourne to find a suitable venue for an exhibition of Japanese Dolls. Jim thought that the Burnside Atrium would be an ideal location, and the AJA Committee collaborated with the Library to make it a great event, especially as it coincided with the first Japanese Cultural Day.
Throughout the years the numbers of people attending the Cultural Day grew, drawn by the wonderful Japanese singing, dancing and musical events inside the Library, the many delightful and delicious stalls in the long foyer and the okonomiyaki BBQ outside. The library staff always supported our program – we are a good team.
The Japanese Cultural Day was limited by Covid in 2020-21, but revived with great success in 2022, when the event was held for the first time in the Burnside Ballroom, with AJA’s efforts led by current President Kyoko Katayama and the AJA committee.
The AJA committee, members and volunteers have always planned and worked hard to make the Japanese Cultural Day the success it has become. Its fruits have been to make people more aware of Japanese culture and embrace multiculturalism in South Australia.
We have made it a labour of love, and it is a great honour for the AJA of SA to receive the 2023 City of Burnside Citizen of the Year Award for Best Multicultural Event in 2022.
Jim Stewart
For a pictorial history of this event follow some of the links below;
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