2024 Oshōgatsu at the JICC-Japanese New Year! (Celebrate Japanese New Year at JICC-Traditional Crafts, Mochi, & Japanese Drum Performance)NEW

Oshōgatsu at the JICC | Introducing Japanese New Year. Celebrate Japanese New Year at the JICC with traditional crafts, mochi, and a Japanese drum performance!

To ring in the new year, the JICC will be hosting a special Oshōgatsu event on Saturday, January 20th from 2 PM to 4 PM. Join us for family-friendly Japanese New Year activities and a special lecture and performance by taiko instructor and performer, Mark H. Rooney.

In Japan, Oshōgatsu or Japanese New Year, is a special time. One of the most important and most celebrated Japanese holidays, preparations begin long in advance as people clean their homes from top to bottom (ōsōji), prepare traditional food to be eaten during the first three days of the new year (osechi ryōri), and write New Year's greeting cards, or nengajo.

Presented by the Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan.

Date 
Saturday, January 20, 2024

Time
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST

Location
Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, 1150 18th Street Northwest Suite 100 Washington, DC 20036

About Event
This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration through Eventbrite is required.

Some walk-ins may be accommodated depending on supplies and capacity. Doors open at 2:00 PM.

Visit the JICC for this Special Event:
• Learn more about the traditions of Japanese New Year
• Create a Year of the Dragon nengajo, New Year’s greeting card
• Inscribe your New Year’s wish on a paper ema, New Year’s wish display card
• Savor the chewy goodness of mochi*
• The event will conclude with a lecture and live performance of taiko, Japanese drums, by Mark H. Rooney at 3:00 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Warning: Mochi, or Japanese rice cakes, is a choking hazard for young children and adults who have difficulty swallowing.

About the Artist
Mark H. Rooney-"the world’s most dangerous half-Japanese/half-Scottish solo improvisational taiko artist”-has been studying, performing, and teaching taiko for the past 25 years in the US, Japan, and Europe. He was the Artistic Director of Odaiko New England, the founding instructor for Wesleyan University’s taiko program, and a touring member of Taikoza. Mark has collaborated with a wide variety of artists and groups including Tiger Okoshi, Opera unMet, UpRooted Dance, Arts on the Horizon, and ilyAIMY. He now lives in the Washington DC area, continuing with his mission: “taiko for all people at all levels.”

See All New Years Events