Mochitsuki 2008, 12th Annual Japanese American New Year Festival

Date: Jan. 27, 2008

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Mochitsuki 2008, 12th Annual Japanese American New Year Festival
Sunday, January 27, 2008

Portland Community College, Sylvania Campus
12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland, OR

Mochitsuki with Aloha
1:00pm and 3:15pm
Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $5-$12; Brown Paper Tickets (800) 838-3006, online www.mochitsuki.org
Featuring:
Alton Chung, Portland Taiko, Tanuki Taiko, Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, Fujiami-Kai, Sahomi Tachibana, Ka-au Ahina and Aukai La'a

Cultural Fair in the College Center
Noon to 4:00pm
Suggested donation of $2 for adults, $1 for children

Sponsors: Portland Taiko, the Portland Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, and Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center

Imagine a wild rat feasting on rice cakes! Eating smooth, round rice cakes is the traditional Japanese way to welcome the New Year, and 2008 is the Year of the Rat. The Portland area Japanese American community invites the public to join in its lively celebration, Mochitsuki 2008. We welcome the New Year with a stage program of taiko drumming, dance and storytelling, and a Cultural Fair featuring a community stage, displays and hands-on activities for all ages on Sunday, January 27th, on the Portland Community College Sylvania campus.

Storyteller Alton Chung will emcee Mochitsuki with Aloha at the 1pm and 3:15pm performances in the Performing Arts Center. The exuberant Asian American drum performance group, Portland Taiko and their youth group, Tanuki Taiko, will deliver heart-pounding rhythms. This year's program will also include Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo's poetically playful storytelling and Japanese folk dance by Sahomi Tachibana's dance troupe and Fujinami-Kai. It wouldn't have aloha without some hula dance by Aukai Laa and Kaau Ahina. Tickets to Mochitsuki with Aloha cost $12 for adults, $9 for students and seniors (62 years or older), and $5 for children (12 and under). There is no charge for children under 2. Tickets are available online at www.mochitsuki.org or by calling Brown Paper Tickets: (800)838-3006. Admission includes access to the Cultural Fair.

At the Cultural Fair in the nearby College Center, Japanese American and Hawaiian community groups will come together to showcase their culture and traditions from noon to 4pm. Food and entertainment always go hand-in-hand at these festivals. The PCC Food Service Department will open its sushi bar and serve Japanese and Hawaiian specialties for the event while the Community Stage will feature local performing groups and clubs. Activities such as calligraphy, flower arranging and crafts provide hands-on opportunities and complement community organizations' informational booths. There is a suggested donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children for entrance into the Cultural Fair. Tickets for Mochitsuki with Aloha include fair admission.

One essential delicacy of any Japanese New Year celebration is mochi, a sticky rice cake. Traditionally, the rice is pounded into soft dough in a mortar, the usu, with a large wooden mallet called a kine. Pounding mochi requires a team effort and timing, with one person wielding the kine and another brave person flipping over the mound of hot, steaming rice between the impacts of the mallet. Once the rice has reached a smooth, consistent texture, the dough is pinched off into individual servings and shaped into a smooth round. Traditional mochi pounding demonstrations will take place at the Cultural Fair.

Now in its 12th year, Mochitsuki draws a crowd of more than 2,500 and is supported by the Japanese Ancestral Society, the Japan America Society of Portland and the Consulate General of Japan.

For the latest schedule and information about Mochitsuki 2008, visit our website at www.mochitsuki.org. For further questions, email info@mochitsuki.org.

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