To Japan Club Leadership and all Volunteers,
Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Japan Day so meaningful and successful.
Despite the last-minute change from an outdoor event to an indoor venue, the event became a truly unforgettable celebration of connection, culture, and community. This was only possible because this year’s student leadership was truly amazing—flexible, creative, proactive, and calm in responding to an unexpected challenge.
This year’s theme was Matsuri, and that festive spirit was felt throughout the entire event—from the handmade mikoshi (portable shrine) to the 15 performances and more than 30 hands-on cultural activities across five different locations, all supported by nearly 100 dedicated high school and college student volunteers. The energy, joy, and sense of celebration could be felt everywhere.
Our student slogan this year was 繋ぐ、繋がる、繋げる (Tsunagu, Tsunagaru, Tsunageru)—to connect, to be connected, and to create new connections.
The slogan was about both connection and continuity, and we truly saw it come to life. Performances were held in the Pacific Suite and connected via Zoom through four large screens, allowing guests in four different rooms to enjoy the performances while also participating in hands-on activities. Even though the event was spread across five different locations, everything still felt connected as one warm community.
We saw people come together across generations, from children to guests in their 90s. Students from elementary school through high school, college and graduate students, parents, alumni, community members, and guests using wheelchairs all shared the same space and spirit.
Local Japanese language teachers came to support the event and reconnect with their students. Japan Day first began in 2008 as Japan Night, and this year we were so happy to welcome back Japan Club leaders and alumni from 2008, 2011, 2016, and recent years. Being together with them again reminded me how special Japan Day has become over time—a place to reconnect, reflect, and celebrate shared memories across generations.
As we briefly talked about next year, we shared a hope that the 20th Japan Day will help reconnect many generations of Japan Club members and alumni. It would be meaningful to reflect on where our 2008 members are now, look back on the past 20 years, and create time to reconnect, share our stories, and celebrate how far everyone has come.
Japan Club was officially reestablished in 2004, and I have also heard wonderful stories about active student leadership in the 1980s. It would be wonderful to reconnect these different generations and celebrate the long history of Japanese language and cultural community at Sac State.
Thank you again to everyone who made this possible.
With sincere gratitude to our 2025–2026 Japan Club officers: Meng, Renee, Dom, Joshua, Tip, Serena, Lauren, Anh, Liliana, Paolo, Karena, Mark, Emma, Clara, and Hazuki
Kazue Masuyama
Japan Club Adviser