11th Perth Japan Festival
2025/3/21
On Saturday March 15, Japan Festival Inc hosted the 11th Perth Japan Festival at the Supreme Court Gardens, with a record attendance of approximately 22,000 visitors.
During the opening ceremony, Acting Consul-General Hasegawa expressed his gratitude to the organizers, emphasizing that the Perth Japan Festival is a symbol of the friendship between Japan and Australia. (Read here)
He was joined by the Hon Dr Tony Buti MLA, Minister for Education; Aboriginal Affairs; Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Councillor Liam Gobbert JP, City of Perth, representatives from sponsoring organizations Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, ANA, INPEX, Mitsui Iron Ore Development, the Japanese Association of WA, and Kanto Daiichi High School Principal Oppata for the sake barrel opening ceremony, wishing for the continued friendship between Japan and Western Australia.
He was joined by the Hon Dr Tony Buti MLA, Minister for Education; Aboriginal Affairs; Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Councillor Liam Gobbert JP, City of Perth, representatives from sponsoring organizations Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, ANA, INPEX, Mitsui Iron Ore Development, the Japanese Association of WA, and Kanto Daiichi High School Principal Oppata for the sake barrel opening ceremony, wishing for the continued friendship between Japan and Western Australia.
The festival included guest performances by the Kanto Daiichi High School Barbie’s Cheerleaders and jazz band Tokyo Groove Jyoshi. The Kanto Daiichi HS Barbie’s, previous world championship winners, charmed audiences with their dynamic performances, and Tokyo Groove Jyoshi, having performed in Japan and overseas, energized the venue with their broad repertoire of jazz, funk, R&B and rock music.
Other performances included dance performances by students from local primary schools and the Japanese School in Perth, traditional Okinawan dance, swordsmanship demonstrations, Japanese choir, cosplay and J-rock groups, as well as martial arts demonstrations including kyudo, kendo, karate and kobudo.
The festival’s Culture Zone showcased Japanese culture with tea ceremony, yukata try-on, bonsai and ikebana (Sogetsu) displays, as well as handmade kids’ jinbei and crafts for sale.
The Consulate-General of Japan in Perth cohosted an information booth with CLAIR Sydney and the Hyogo Business & Tourism Centre offering information about Japan to visitors, as well as an interactive kendama activity.
There were many Japanese exchange students among the volunteers and participants this year, including students from Kanto Daiichi HS, volunteering their time to help visitors.
The festival’s Culture Zone showcased Japanese culture with tea ceremony, yukata try-on, bonsai and ikebana (Sogetsu) displays, as well as handmade kids’ jinbei and crafts for sale.
The Consulate-General of Japan in Perth cohosted an information booth with CLAIR Sydney and the Hyogo Business & Tourism Centre offering information about Japan to visitors, as well as an interactive kendama activity.
There were many Japanese exchange students among the volunteers and participants this year, including students from Kanto Daiichi HS, volunteering their time to help visitors.
The Yagura stage was at the centre of drumming performances by Taiko On and Bon Odori performances led by WA BON REN again this year, with dances like ‘Perth Ondo’ drawing in both Japanese and Australian visitors to the dance circle.