On a Saturday, May 4th, over 300 people made the trip to Eoshallen. Usually, that’s because there’s a basketball game. This time? It was something completely different.
Photo: Yohei Iida
The green colored wooden floor of Eoshallen was filled with tables. One corner had the Eos language café, which was moved down to gym from its usual spot in the conference rooms. Another table made artwork from Origami cranes. And there was food – lots of it. From Nikkorogashi (煮っころがし, sweet marinated potatoes) to Warabi mochi-like dessert
(わらび餅風, jelly-like mochi) to, of course, all variations of sushi.
The event, titled 和み祭 Nagomi-Sai, is a collaboration between 和み祭実行委員会/Nagomi-Sai Organizing Committee, East Asia Student Association Lund and Eos Cares. The word “nagomi” translates to “calm” or “harmony” and “sai” stands for “festival”. It was a one-day free event that aimed to let people know a little more about Japanese culture, mainly organized by a group of Japanese students who are about to finish up a year of studies in Sweden. As the turnout of over 300 people showed: There seemed to be a lot of curiousness around the subject.
At 2 pm, a dance show breaks out in the middle of the floor. Soon the audience is asked to join in and shortly after everybody is dancing. The ones not participating are quick to get out their phones and capture the moment.
Photo: Crasy Wolfgang
Children, parents and all ages in between were here that day to celebrate and explore the rich culture of Japan. 2,5 hours might not have been enough to cover everything, but for those who wanted to get a first taste, it was a pretty good start.
