Quick Take
The annual Japanese Cultural Fair is back in Santa Cruz this Saturday at Mission Plaza park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A record number of Americans are expected to visit Japan this summer, but for those who can’t, the annual Japanese Cultural Fair is back in Santa Cruz this Saturday, June 7, at Mission Plaza park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“We like Japanese culture and we want to introduce it to as many people as possible in the community,” said Chieko Yoshikawa, executive director of the fair. “This fair is as close as they can come to the culture without taking a trip.”
Santa Cruz enjoys a tight bond with sister city Shingu, Japan, a relationship that dates back to 1974, when UC Santa Cruz students learned the Japanese martial art aikido and brought it back to Santa Cruz, becoming a vector for two-way student exchange programs.
For a short event in a tiny park, the fair attracts loads of people.
Last year, 3,000 to 5,000 people attended, according to Yoshikawa, who added that it’s hard to count the total number of visitors because the event is open to everyone. People came from Southern California, Washington state and as far away as New York last year.
There are 30 vendors scheduled for this year’s fair, including stalls by artists, bonsai gardeners and koi pond designers, along with Japanese delicacies from local food vendors such as Sushi Market Sprouts. The City of Shingu will have a booth as well. Manga, an extremely popular comic format, is a new addition from last year that delighted the younger crowd, according to Yoshikawa.
Yoshikawa has been involved in the fair since 1989. She first moved to Santa Cruz from Tokyo in 1976 to attend UCSC and never looked back. The Japanese community has never been large in Santa Cruz, but today Yoshikawa knows “maybe 10 to 15” Japanese residents of the city.
Somebody suggested to Yoshikawa that the fair should move to Watsonville to better represent the Japanese American community, which has lived there since the 1800s. South County has a substantially larger Japanese population, “about 600,” Yoshikawa estimates of third- and fourth-generation Japanese Americans.
But Yoshikawa rejects the idea that she should move the fair out of Santa Cruz; it has become its very own Santa Cruz tradition.
“Here we have many, many supporters,” Yoshikawa said. “I think it’s a really great place to introduce difference.”
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keely, San Francisco-based Japanese Deputy Consul-General Takeshi Ishihara and Rep. Jimmy Panetta are each expected to make appearances at the fair.
The full schedule of performances is available on its website. San Francisco Taiko Dojo is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Those interested in volunteering can visit https://www.jcfsantacruz.org/volunteer; those interested in donating to the fair can learn more here.