Fishing dance, performed by fishermen and their wives. Photo courtesy of ob.org.

Students filled the Memorial Union Loading Dock Thursday evening as the UND International Center presented Japan Culture Night.

The two-hour event included presentations on Japanese life and culture, traditional Japanese food and karaoke. Each presentation was given by several Japanese students wearing traditional clothing.

Beginning with a presentation about Japanese school, there are very clear differences between their schools and typical American schools. Most young students wear the exact same backpack, called a randoseru, which are traditionally given out on the first day of school.

Another significant difference is the lack of janitors in Japanese schools, which makes it the duty of the students to clean up after themselves each day. A YouTube clip showed several elementary students pushing cleaning rags across a gymnasium floor in a competitive manner, and the presenter noted it’s common to make a fun game out of the cleaning process.

A series of humorous video clips were put together by the presenters to educate the audience on Japanese customs and social norms that are different from what is practiced in the U.S.

In Japan it’s considered very rude to be talking on a cellphone while riding public transportation. Another disrespectful gesture is looking someone directly in the eye when speaking with them. According to the presenters, this is very “creepy and weird” and can be grounds for calling the police.

A few myths about Japanese culture were busted by presenter Saki (“no, not like the drink”) Kawaguchi. She cleared up that no, Japanese people don’t eat sushi every day and, “If you are expecting to see a ninja or samurai, you will be very disappointed.”

Kawaguchi continued with a short slideshow of different places to visit and sights to see across Japan.

Just before food was served, four students presented a traditional fishing dance, which is taught as part of the curriculum in many schools across Japan. The dance moves represent ocean waves, pulling ropes, dragging fishing nets and lifting items over the shoulder.

The evening’s meal consisted of a rice ball filled with tuna (according to Kawaguchi, this is a typical breakfast food), deep fried pieces of chicken and miso soup. Around 250 people went through the line to get a taste of Japanese cuisine.

While attendees enjoyed their food, the event wrapped up with karaoke. Audience members were invited to join, however the presenters did most of the singing. Song choices were from Japanese anime programs such as Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Japan Culture Night was the final Culture Night of the semester hosted by the Office of International Programs.

Serianna Henkel is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].