Festival highlights Japanese culture, traditions

Saeko Hamada, a Japanese history student from Japan, demonstrated the dance of Toyama, a folk dance usually performed in the summer to commemorate one's ancestors, as part of the Japanese and American Youth Festival held at Emory Nov. 2. Hamada is a participant in a good will mission of youth from Toyama, Japan, whose purpose is to establish friendship and mutual understanding between the youths of the United States and Japan. Hamada was one of 85 delegates from Toyama prefecture in central Japan who brought their traditional and modern culture to Emory. Sponsored by the Japanese and American Sports and Cultural Exchange Mission, the festival sought to provide an opportunity for Emory students and employees to become more familiar with Japanese culture and people.