Last Friday, on April Fools’ Day, the Binghamton University Japanese Association (BUJA) hosted their first in-person Japan Night since 2019 in the Mandela Room. The event featured a memorable skit and a variety of lively performances as well as engaging games and prizes.

The night started off with an E-Board introduction video mimicking the game Mario Kart, followed by the first scene of the skit, which was modeled after the theme. It told the story of an introvert who struggles with love. He has a negative outlook on life and is offered a magical tea that could solve his problems. Unbeknownst to him, however, the tea is a strong hallucinogen. Eventually, the protagonist discovers the beauty in ephemeral love.

Stephanie Lai, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she enjoyed the plot of the skit as well as the acting and editing.

“The storyline was super creative and sweet since it was a sad love story,” Lai said. “It had a satisfying ending since the actress said she would always be with him even if she is not physically there. The effects used to film the skit such as the transitions looked very professional as well.”

The theme of this year’s Japan Night was “Mono No Aware,” which roughly translates to “the impermanence of things” or “the beauty of impermanence.” Kai Takizawa Clancy, one of the event’s coordinators and a senior majoring in biology, wanted to highlight how we should all value the present and make the most of every moment, experience, personal belonging and relationship.

“While [‘Mono No Aware’] can refer to a number of ideas or icons, including the short-lived cherry blossoms that are so highly regarded in Japanese culture … we wanted to stress that life isn’t very long but there is so much beauty throughout for us to enjoy,” Takizawa Clancy wrote in an email. “We must not forget the value of our friends and family and must not miss out on the joy that even a simple everyday experience can bring.”

Throughout the event, there were also various performances, the first of which was a kimono fashion show displaying the traditional Japanese clothing considered the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a T-shaped, robe-like garment that is embedded with symbolism pertaining to either the wearer or the occasion. Dance groups MODA X and Binghamton Paradox also made an appearance, demonstrating their new choreography themed around Nintendo, and also danced to several K-pop songs including “DNA” by BTS and “ZOO” by NCT and aespa. Other performances included FLOW, who entranced the audience with their light props, and Skylar Lai, a senior majoring in biology, who serenaded the audience with “all my ghosts“ by Lizzy McAlpine and “Every Summertime“ by NIKI. The BUJA E-Board also took part in performing their Sōran Bushi, a traditional fishermen’s dance that is meant to imitate the fishermen’s movements at sea.

In addition, there were also games spread out throughout the event, including charades, “guess the anime song” and a scavenger hunt. Prizes consisted of a bento box, a sunset lamp, a Levi Ackerman body pillow and also a Nintendo Switch Lite as the raffle prize. Daniel Hosken, a sophomore majoring in economics, was among the winners of the night.

“The food, kimono show and general aesthetic of the room really captured the feeling of Japanese culture,” Hosken said. “I’m a little biased, but my favorite part of the event was the games. The anime music guessing contest gave me a chance to show everyone just how much of a nerd I am. The prize, an anime character body pillow, was also hilarious and made for a really fun event for the participants and the audience.”

Momo Yamamoto, president of BUJA and a senior majoring in biology, expressed her appreciation for her E-Board and the gratification she felt from being able to host a successful Japan Night.

“Finally having the opportunity to put on our show again, just seeing my entire E-Board’s face light up with joy, seeing how well our performances ran and hearing our audience oohing and aahing made me feel so warm,” Yamamoto wrote in an email. “It was a long and tiring process but seeing it all come together and seeing how much fun our audience had was so worth it.”

The night ended with an emotional, heartwarming speech from the BUJA E-Board, paired with a goodbye video to the seniors.

“The end in particular got to me,” Hosken said. “[The video] reminded me that even this experience of being in college is not one that will last forever, and that we should appreciate it while we have it.”