Students gathered in the commons to attend a Japanese culture lunch held by the World Language Department. Throughout the lunch period, attendees had the opportunity to learn about Japanese culture from their peers and engage in traditions created on the other side of the world. 

Calming Japanese music played as students learned about origami and calligraphy in Japanese characters. Surrounded by decorative posters depicting cherry blossoms, books and drawings, attendees participated in activities at stations led by Japanese language students. The celebration also offered an assortment of foods, including rice balls, candies and other treats. 

Sophomore Paige Profet enjoyed her experience at the culture lunch.

“It was fun to try new things and learn more about other cultures around me,” Profet said. “The students put together this really nice celebration which others really seemed to enjoy.”

The Japanese language classes organized similar lunch events in past years, and they plan to host more in the future, said student organizer John Mills, a sophomore. Mills is enrolled in the Japanese program this year and helped to set up the event. 

“We just want to tell more people about Japanese culture and encourage them to take the Japanese language course, as well as show them the cool things about it like origami,” he said. “We just decorated this place to show you the benefits of taking Japanese.”