BETHANY, W.Va. — Bethany’s Japan Outreach will present the 22nd Annual Explore Japan Celebration at Bethany College on October 6. The celebration will feature a Japanese food culture presentation, cooking workshop and cooking demonstration from 5-7 p.m. in Commencement Hall.
The October 6 event will begin with a food presentation at 5 p.m., followed by a cooking demonstration at 5:30 and a workshop at 6. The cooking demonstration will include a sampling of sushi. Fumiyo Iwadachi, a Japanese language teacher in the Handa City area, will provide the food culture presentation. Her research interest has focused on the history of Japanese food culture and, particularly, seasoning. Master Chef Atsuo Hayakawa, a well-known sushi chef in Handa for more than 30 years, will lead the demonstration and hands-on workshop.
The Explore Japan Celebration was initiated more than two decades ago to help introduce various aspects of Japanese culture and language to the Bethany campus and the Ohio Valley. Despite the growing popularity of Japanese food in the United States, remarkably little is known about Japanese cuisine. The upcoming presentation will include information on the food and dietary practices of the Japanese from earliest times to the present day.
The West Virginia Humanities Council previously sponsored a highly successful Japanese Institute for Bethany College. The Japanese Institute participants visited Handa City, Japan, during the course of the Institute, and their interactions there birthed an active cultural exchange between Bethany and Handa City that made the upcoming celebration possible.
The activities, co-funded by Japan Outreach and the Student Activities Council, are open to the public. Bethany students may attend for free. The charge for adults is $10, and the charge for children (under 12) is $5. Advance registration is required. Contact Japan Outreach at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Bethany College is a small college of national distinction located on a picturesque and historic 1,300-acre campus in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the state’s oldest private college.