With his hair flying behind a black-and-white headband and arms powerfully pounding out a rhythm, Taiko drummer Ryan Toguri commanded the attention of about 200 people Sunday afternoon at the Japanese Garden Picnic.
Audience members responded to Toguri's drumbeats and the other three drummers in Kaminari Daiko, a group out of Chicago, by moving their feet and legs rhythmically.
The picnic was the first event of Japan Week, which runs through Oct. 3 and is sponsored by MSU's Asian Studies Center.
"A lot of what we do is academic, so with outreach, we tried to do something fun," Asian Studies Outreach Coordinator Van Nguyen said, adding that it's the first time Japan Week has included a social event.
The picnic was held in the Kathleen D. and Milton E. Muelder Japanese Garden, just south of the railroad tracks and the 4-H Children's Garden.
"I didn't realize at first that we had this Japanese garden," Nguyen said. "It's awesome to have at an American university."
Other events at the picnic included a tea ceremony, Japanese folk dances and a demonstration of Okinawan Karate, a Japanese martial art.
Japanese exchange student Mutsumi Makino said she's been able to learn more about American culture during her semester at MSU. The event let American students learn more about her culture.
But the picnic wasn't just for learning about Japan.
"It's an opportunity to meet friends," graduate student Patrick Auyeung said. Auyeung said he was already familiar with the Japanese culture, but the event added something more.
"You can watch some of the traditional performances you would not see anywhere else," he said.
The explosions of power from Kaminari Daiko contrasted with the calculated control of East Lansing resident Michael Alexanian, who performed traditional Japanese swordsmanship. He stomped his feet, adorned in the traditional sandals called zori, on the wooden stage.
"We want to dispel the myth that martial arts are just rock 'em, sock 'em," said Alexanian, branch manager of the United States Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu Michigan Dojo, a martial arts center at 838 Stuart Ave. "Our goal is spreading Japanese culture to this area and beyond."
Bill Stacey drove from Grand Rapids to see the event for a class he is taking at Grand Valley State University. As his granddaughter Drew folded origami with two students, Stacey said he was interested in learning the differences between Asian cultures.
"I'm hoping to get perspective on whether the Japanese Americans get clumped into the whole group of Asian Americans," he said.
The combination of events and history will help in educating people, Toguri said.
"If they're willing to learn, people can find out a lot about Japanese culture."
For more information, call (517)353-1680 or visit www.isp.msu.edu/asianstudies
