From the spread of words, posters and media, Bellevue College represents diversity through holding events that students and the community can benefit from. The first week of October is known as Japan Week at Bellevue College. Each day of the first week of October was filled with events showcasing Japanese culture and history. This brought cultural experience to BC for students and faculty to benefit from outside of the classroom.
Saturday, Oct. 6, was the activity-filled “Matsuri” festival that brought Japan week to an end. This day was dedicated to celebrating and exploring Japan’s rich culture and history. While the day began as cold and overcast, sunshine began to break through, making it even more possible for everyone to visit all the buildings. Walking around the inside and area around the L building, C building and Carlson Theatre, the main observation made was how community-oriented this event is. There is something for all ages and all interests, along with being on BC’s campus making it easy access for students and fellow community members.
Anthony Helms, a past student of Bellevue College, took part in volunteering on Saturday. He said he became involved as a volunteer because his mom is part of the Japanese community. What stood out the most for Helms was “meeting people, meeting Japanese people in the community, and being able to speak Japanese too!”
The C building held most of the participatory activities such as origami, information, history and the culinary arts, which were explored for all. A few special dishes were served in the cafeteria, such as chicken curry with rice, yakisoba, assorted sushi and edamame. Inside the Carlson Theatre, martial arts were demonstrated for those who were intrigued by this type of physical art form. The L building was dedicated toward the books and arts of Japanese culture. From there, the next stop was the courtyard where the music was playing.
Cortney Snodgrass, a fellow community member heard about the event through a friend who attends Bellevue College. “I love the music, I love the food, it’s kind of nice. There’s some people walking around selling food, and it’s interesting that you can actually buy things here to remember!”
For the second year, Bellevue College has made it possible to educate and cater events that showcase culture and history to both BC students and the surrounding community.