Japan Week kicks off Saturday at RPS

Japan Week, Spokane’s annual celebration of Japanese culture, starts Saturday.

The opening celebration, noon Saturday at River Park Square, will include taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, women from Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute performing bon-odori dancing and the Mukogawa choir singing Japanese and American songs. There will be displays and events all day at the mall, including an art exhibit at the Kress Gallery.

Among the highlights of the week:

• Day of Remembrance pays tribute to the incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II; 7 p.m. Monday at Spokane Falls Community College.

• Family Festival at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute on Wednesday will have activities such as origami and calligraphy. Some events and foods have a $1 fee.

• KuroNeko Con Cosplay Fashion Show and Dance is at 7:30 p.m. Friday at SFCC.

• The Tsutakawa Japanese Garden Festival will feature demonstrations, displays and activities, including Japanese sumi-e, bonsai and ikebana.

For a complete schedule, go to www.japanweekspokane.com.

– From staff reports