Consul General Murabayashi Joins “Oita Japan Festival” in Austin
2023/10/17
On September 10, Consul General Murabayashi joined the “Oita Japan Festival” which was held at the Asian American Resource Center in Austin.
This festival is organized by the Austin-Oita Sister City Committee with the cooperation of Japan-related organizations in the Austin area, and is held every year to introduce and familiarize Austinites with Japan and their sister city of Oita.
The opening ceremony was held with the guests including Judge Aurora Martinez Jones of the 126th Travis County District Court, as well as members of the Austin City Council. In his remarks, Consul General Murabayashi conveyed the importance of grassroots exchange by citizens and expressed his hope for continued development of the sister city exchange in the future. Following the opening ceremony, Consul General Murabayashi and City Councilor Jose Vera participated in a tea ceremony demonstration.
Many visitors attended to enjoy Japanese cultural activities such as origami and calligraphy, as well as Japanese food such as fried chicken and yakisoba. There were also booths for quizzes about the cities of Austin andOita and booths introducing Oita's specialties.Students from Asia Ritsumeikan Pacific University (Oita Prefecture), who are studying language at Texas State University Austin, volunteered to help liven up the booths. Oita-based taiko performers and local groups including a kendo team, a sumo team, and a taiko drumming team gave energetic performances that drew excitement and cheers from the crowd. Overall, the festival was very successful in highlighting the Oita-Austin sister city connection and making Japanese culture approachable for attendees.
This festival is organized by the Austin-Oita Sister City Committee with the cooperation of Japan-related organizations in the Austin area, and is held every year to introduce and familiarize Austinites with Japan and their sister city of Oita.
The opening ceremony was held with the guests including Judge Aurora Martinez Jones of the 126th Travis County District Court, as well as members of the Austin City Council. In his remarks, Consul General Murabayashi conveyed the importance of grassroots exchange by citizens and expressed his hope for continued development of the sister city exchange in the future. Following the opening ceremony, Consul General Murabayashi and City Councilor Jose Vera participated in a tea ceremony demonstration.
Many visitors attended to enjoy Japanese cultural activities such as origami and calligraphy, as well as Japanese food such as fried chicken and yakisoba. There were also booths for quizzes about the cities of Austin andOita and booths introducing Oita's specialties.Students from Asia Ritsumeikan Pacific University (Oita Prefecture), who are studying language at Texas State University Austin, volunteered to help liven up the booths. Oita-based taiko performers and local groups including a kendo team, a sumo team, and a taiko drumming team gave energetic performances that drew excitement and cheers from the crowd. Overall, the festival was very successful in highlighting the Oita-Austin sister city connection and making Japanese culture approachable for attendees.
