Among the highlights of the event are renowned names in music, dance, taiko (Japanese drums), cultural workshops on Bonsai, Ikebana, Oshibana, Origami, Manga, Furoshiki, and Pixel Art, a cosplay parade and contest, commercial exhibition, and authentic Japanese cuisine.
From May 3rd to May 5th (Friday to Sunday), at the Expocentro Edmundo Doubrawa, Joinville Matsuri 2024 will immerse the audience in Japanese culture.
The programming for Joinville Matsuri 2024 was presented at an event held on April 12th (Friday) at the Coree International School Theater, attended by municipal authorities, sectoral entity leaders, members of the Japanese community of Joinville and Santa Catarina, press, and guests.
The event opened with a performance by the Shyudaiko group from Joinville, featuring traditional Japanese drums. Another special moment included guests participating in the Musicarium Experience, where they could feel the emotion and vibrancy of music by sharing the stage with young musicians from the Camerata de Cordas do Musicarium Academia Filarmônica Brasileira.
As a special guest, the launch of Joinville Matsuri 2024 welcomed filmmaker Tizuka Yamasaki, who honored the audience with the screening of her documentary “Tomie,” telling the story of the “dame of Brazilian plastic art,” Tomie Ohtake.
For Tizuka Yamasaki, Joinville Matsuri is a way to reveal aspects of Japanese culture that are not yet widely known. “The Japanese community has dance, has its way of being, has singing, cosplay, cartoons, movies. And it’s also a way for everyone to realize that we, descendants of Japanese, are grateful to have been born in Brazil, but we carry in our history a millennia-old culture, and we are very proud of it.”
The recognition of the welcome Brazil offered to Japanese immigrants is reiterated by the president of the Federation of Nikkei Associations of Santa Catarina (FANSC), Mario Sato.
“The Joinville Matsuri has two purposes: gratitude, because I learned from my father that I should be eternally grateful to Brazil, to Brazilian soil, to Santa Catarina, to Joinville, and to all the places that welcomed the Japanese immigrants who developed in our country; and to provide, in three days, an immersion in Japanese culture to bring more joy, dance, art, knowledge, and wisdom to the city’s community,” declares Mario Sato.
Meanwhile, the president of the Brazil Japan Cultural Alliance of Joinville (ACBJJ), Diego Taira, highlights Joinville Matsuri as a means to attract young people to participate in cultural activities and to awaken people’s interest in learning more about Japanese culture and the essence of its people.
“The Japanese people define themselves through their attire, their architecture and constructions, their gastronomy, culture, and music, but also through respect and social responsibility, collective thinking before individual. That’s what made Japan emerge devastated from a war and, in three decades, become the world’s second-largest economy. A country with a small territory that influences so many people,” says Diego.
Immersion in Japanese culture
Joinville Matsuri 2024 will be held from May 3rd to 5th at the Expocentro Edmundo Doubrawa.
With an intense and diversified program, Joinville Matsuri brings attractions such as musical shows with artists recognized by the Nikkei community, authentic delights of Japanese cuisine, cosplay parade and contest, bazaar with oriental articles and treats, presentation of products and services, as well as the richness of Japanese culture.
“In addition to watching the shows, the audience can interact in workshops, buy exclusive products, and enjoy authentic dishes from our cuisine. The audience attending the Matsuri will experience being in Japan without leaving Joinville,” anticipates Takao Sato, CEO of Tasa Eventos, the event organizing company.
Attractions for all audiences
Joinville Matsuri 2024 will begin on May 3rd (Friday), and on the first day of the event, the programming will be from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
On Saturday (May 4th), the public can participate in the attractions from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. And on Sunday (May 5th), Joinville Matsuri 2024 will take place from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The event will be held at the Expocentro Edmundo Doubrawa (Av. José Vieira, 315 – América), and the admission fee will be 1 kg of non-perishable food. Parking will be free.
Throughout the three-day event, the public will be enchanted, entertained, and have the opportunity to experience different attractions of Japanese culture, presented by renowned artists and professionals in various fields.
In the musical aspect, Joinville Matsuri 2024 will welcome renowned names in Japanese music such as singer Karen Ito, one of the main representatives of Japanese culture in Brazil, through the traditional Enka style; and singer Joe Hirata, champion of the largest amateur Japanese song contest, the NHK Nodojiman, where he competed with over 80,000 candidates, being the first foreigner to win the program in Japan’s history.
The striking rhythms will also be present in Taiko performances, the traditional Japanese drums, with groups coming from Paraná and Florianópolis.
For those who appreciate dance, there will be a highlight with the Tengu dance performance, featuring dancer Clarice Matsunaga, a former student of the Bolshoi Theatre School in Brazil; and moments of interaction with the Bon Odori circular dance, considered the soul of Japanese festivals, where the entire audience is invited to participate.
For enthusiasts of Japanese pop culture, Joinville Matsuri 2024 will offer guaranteed fun with the cosplay parade and contest, anime song musical show, and a Geek panel on Entrepreneurship in the Cosplay World, featuring Marcelo “Vingaard”.
Visitors wishing to enhance their cultural knowledge practically can participate in workshops on manga, oshibana, ikebana, bonsai, furoshiki, and pixel art.
And for those wishing to take home a genuinely Japanese souvenir, among the 50 commercial exhibitors, there will be a variety of products ranging from Japanese candies to t-shirts, books, and magazines.
To complete the programming, gastronomy will be one of the highlights of Joinville Matsuri 2024, with differentiated and authentic dishes such as Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki, usually present at large festivals, as well as varied options such as burgers, savory snacks, and sweets.
Joinville Matsuri 2024 Artistic Program
3/5 – Friday
8:00 PM Shyudaiko
8:30 PM Musical Show: Serginho Tanigawa
4/5 – Saturday
12:30 PM – Shyudaiko
1:00 PM – Opening Ceremony
1:30 PM – Ryukyu Koku Matsuri Daiko Group
2:00 PM – Musical Show: Karen Ito
3:00 PM – Geek
Consultancy: Graziella Bila