Check Out JapanFest’s “Cool Japan Street” and Watch the Fireworks This Weekend!

After 30 years, JapanFest still finds COOL activities to introduce to visitors, and this year’s festival is no exception. In addition to kabuki performances, musical performances on the koto and the shamisen, and a kimono fashion show, check out the “Cool Japan Street” near the Food Court for new and “cooler” products!

You will want to participate in the fireworks display! Download the Hanabee app from http://www.japanfest.org/single-post/2016/09/08/OOOOHHH-AHHHHH-Look-at-that-one or http://www.hanabee.us. Follow the Hanabee Fireworks instructions also found on these sites and get ready to create your own fireworks! Make sure you create them in the JapanFest “Room” so that you will be able to see your fireworks on the big screen in the Food Court hall! Fireworks will be active and displayed on the big screen on the following schedule:

Sat, Sep 17th at 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm

Sun, Sep 18th at 11:00am, 1:30pm, 4:00pm-(final)

This app is a crowd-sourced, interactive fireworks app. During the six time slots, you can celebrate JapanFest’s 30th anniversary as a team: joining with others, for three minutes you can synchronize efforts and create a sense of camaraderie while creating a dazzling fireworks display! At the end, all participants’ individual scores(based on fireworks shot) will be displayed. The top three ranked players from each time slot can claim a prize at the Hanabee booth!

Also on Cool Japan Street, you can find unique crafts from several prefectures and different styles of Japanese pottery. PARO, a therapeutic seal robot that has received Neurological Therapeutic Medical Device approval from the Food and Drug Administration, will also be on display. PARO has been shown to be effective in helping calm dementia patients and others with behavioral and psychological issues. On the lighter side, you will also find “necomimi” – cat’s ears that move and react to your emotions through a forehead sensor!

There will be other robots, craft demonstrations, music, art, a virtual photo booth, and even a chance to experiment with kabuki makeup! So don’t miss “Cool Japan Street” at JapanFest!

JapanFest is Sep. 17th and 18th at the Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097.

Sep. 17: 10am-6pm

Sep. 18: 10am-5pm

Purchase tickets in advance from the website at http://www.japanfest.org/tickets and skip the lines! Tickets are $10. Children age six or younger are free. No pets other than guide dogs are allowed inside the convention center. For more information, call 404-842-0736 or visit www.japanfest.org.

Sponsors:

Platinum-Delta Air Lines; Gold-Aflac Incorporated; The Coca-Cola Company; Silver-FisherBroyles, LLP; Kumon North America, Inc; TV Japan/NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc; WSB-TV Channel 2; Bronze-American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Power Equipment Division; Georgia Asian Times; Georgia Power; LeafFilterTM; Miura America Co. Ltd; MomoCon LLC; Petitte Engineering LLC; PriceWaterhouse Coopers; Sapporo USA, Inc; OQTA Inc; Temple University, Japan Campus; TOTO USA Inc; Fuji-Dexerials America Corporation; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Inside Gwinnett Magazine; Panasonic Automotive Systems, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A; Sakura-Atlanta Parent Magazine; Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC; Ernst & Young LLP; Global Atlanta; Gwinnett Daily Post; Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center; Creative Loafing; Honda Precision Parts of Georgia, LLC; KPMG; Toppan Printing Co. Ltd; Ume-Atlanta Braves, Machida Family of Duluth; Other Contributors-Consulate General of Japan; Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership; Kennesaw State University; Chopstix for Charity, NAAAP Atlanta Chapter