M Fumie Craig

Photo Gallery of 2020 Tucson Japanese Festival

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Our Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition’s 7th New Year’s mochi pounding festival was held on Saturday January 18, 2020 at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Rd.  Thousands of people attended, and enjoyed the delicious food, matcha green ice cream, taiko drumming, traditional dancing, games, martial art demonstrations, tea ceremonies and more. Photo … Read more

Photo Gallery of 2019 Tucson Japanese Festival

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Our Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition sponsored our 6th annual New Year’s Tucson Japanese Festival on Jan. 20, 2019 at the a new location, the lovely Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River  Rd. We seemed to have outgrown PCC Downtown where we hosted the 3rd, 4th and 5th festivals.

The highlight again was the mochi pounding (from rice), making and sampling.

This festival was a huge success with about 2000 people attending, and several dance/music performances, martial arts group demos, exhibitors (including Southern Arizona Koi Assn.), tea ceremonies, the art of kimono, children’s games (Go, kendama, fukuwarai), and of course, delicious Japanese food for sale and sample. As publicity chair, I was astounded at the # of attendees, considering that most information went out via FB or online, and not in print.

Photos below taken by M. Fumie Craig, founder of Tucson Origami Club and MC Louis Rivera, except for one by volunteer Teena Werley, which are all captioned.

Mochi display for New Year’s, courtesy M Fumie Craig
Volunteers serving mochi samples with kinako, courtesy M Fumie Craig
SAJCC Director Yuki Ibuki welcoming the audience, courtesy of Louis Rivera
koi on display by Southern Arizona Koi Association, courtesy of M  Fumie Craig
Tucson Japanese Language School display, courtesy M  Fumie Craig

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Photo Gallery of 2017 Tucson Japanese Festival

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Tucson Japanese Festival (new name) was held on January 14, 2017 at PCC Downtown, 1255 N. Stone Ave. to celebrate the New Year.

For the 4th year, Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition (SAJCC) sponsored a New Year’s festival featuring numerous performances and once again, mochi pounding (from rice). Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers and Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson were festival co-sponsors.

Origami paper folding was taught and Go, fukuwarai and kendama games were played upstairs in the campus center building.  Also on display were ikebana flower arrangements, bonsai from the Tucson Bonsai Club, and calligraphy.   Photos below courtesy of freelance photographer James Tokishi, except for last 4 photos by M. Fumie Craig.

Odaiko Sonora doing the welcome at the New Year's festival
Odaiko Sonora doing the welcome at the Tucson Japanese New Year’s festival
Mochi (rice) pounding in stone usu and wooden kine
Mochi (rice) pounding in stone usu with wooden kine
Tucson Kendo Kai performing this skill
Tucson Kendo Kai ready to perform their skills

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Photo gallery of 3rd Annual Japanese Mochitsuki celebration

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The Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition (SAJCC, of which I am the website Editor) held our 3rd Annual Tucson Mochitsuki celebration for Japanese New Year’s  at PCC Downtown , 1255 N. Stone Avenue on Saturday, January 9. This event has grown from its inception 3 years ago at Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson, then to last year at Rhythm Industry Performance Factory, home of the popular Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers.  This popular taiko troupe help open the celebration’s festivities.

Odaiko Sonora doing the opening welcome. Photo credit Brandy Gannon

Odaiko Sonora preparing to do the opening welcome. Photo credit Brandy Gannon

Odaiko Sonora performing,photo credit James Tokishi
Odaiko Sonora performing, photo credit James Tokishi
Odaiko Sonora drummers at 2016 Mochitsuki, photo credit James Tokishi
Odaiko Sonora drummers at 2016 Mochitsuki, photo credit James Tokishi

Here are more photos of the event, focused on the Japanese tradition of cooking, mashing, pounding rice into mochi cakes.  Samples of the mochi were provided to attendees (oshiruku soup), along with a festival atmosphere of various Japanese cultural activities, performances, games, and information.

Video of Odaiko Sonora performance and other activities by freelancer James Tokishi:

https://www.facebook.com/AzBunbunmaru/videos/577442482414877/?theater

Usu (mortar) and kine (mallet) before the pounding. Photo credit James Tokishi
Usu (mortar) and kine (mallet) before the pounding. Photo credit James Tokishi
Mochi pounding, photo credit James Tokishi
Mochi pounding, photo credit James Tokishi

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