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Americans in Japan!
Every year, hundreds of thousands of military members commit to overseas contracts - my husband included! The U.S. Navy decided to move us to the beautiful countryside town of Iwakuni, Japan. People are always surprised that the base we live on is its own little city, complete with several schools, an USPS post office and even a jail. Naturally, if it was uncomfortable to live on base no one would accept these overseas contracts, especially with their family in tow. One thing that I can appreciate as a displaced military spouse is the events on base. Several offices put on events for the base in order to make the residents to feel like they’re at home or give them the opportunity to learn more about their host country. I was fortunate enough to get a job working with Marine Corps Community Services so that I could have a hand planning, designing and hosting these events.
What’s Bon Odori?
Bon Odori is a traditional dance done during the Obon festival to welcome and honor the spirits of the ancestors. If you noticed, we didn’t hold an “Obon festival” even though Bon Odori falls under the Obon umbrella. People who reside and work on a military base come from all walks of life and with Obon being a traditionally Buddhist celebration, we didn’t want anyone to feel as though they couldn’t participate if that wasn’t their religion. We focused on the dance because no matter what religion you follow, if any, most people can appreciate honoring their ancestors.
Vendors & Talent
No matter what country you’re in, an event isn’t an event without food and entertainment! We reached out to local Iwakuni organizations and schools in order to book authentic Japanese performers such as Taiko drummers and dancers. Our dancers even came from off stage and into the crowd to teach Americans how to do the Bon Odori dance!
Food was an incredibly important part of the event. Since our guests were both American and Japanese we offered a variety of dishes from both countries so everyone could either try something new or enjoy a comforting and familiar dish. This festival also went by a ticketing system so it was necessary to buy tickets to then order something with the corresponding amount of tickets.
Activities & Fun
With the exceeding amount of children on our base, of course we had to have some fun activities for them! We offered a variety of fair-like games where any child could fish for bags of chips and balloons or scoop balls out of a kiddie pool with a small net. Inside, adults and children alike were welcome to learn origami or decorate a fan!
Site Planning
A festival of this size needed a good amount of space to be successful. We chose to reserve the green space of “Club Iwakuni”, which is a building on base that has a few restaurants and several ballrooms on the top floor. The green space offered plenty of room for a stage, several vendor and game booths and an open area for dancing! We were also able to reserve some of the ballrooms upstairs for our craft activities. Although this decision made the festival partially indoors, it was helpful because guests could comfortably work on their crafts without worrying about materials blowing away while additionally escaping the Japanese heat and humidity for a bit!
My Role as Lead Designer
As the marketing technician, I had a hand in all aspects of creating and planning this event! I’m grateful for the experience to be able to plan events overseas, I loved learning about this holiday and finding traditional vendors and entertainment. On the creative side, working with the graphic designers and copywriters was invaluable as this is the first role I’ve had where I served as a supervisor. It was so incredible to help them push their ideas and see the fantastic end result!
This was my first time as a marketing technician for the military. It was such a gratifying experience to provide a cultural experience for American families and the Japanese community. I had such a blast working with the vendors and it was so special to see the two cultures coming together for one shared event. I know I'll take so many new skills gained from this project into my future work and I can't wait to positively impact more military families!
Bon Odori
Bon Odori Role
Bon Odori Events
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