ITB’s Japanese Cultural Club Re-celebrates “Bunka no Hi”
By Adi Permana
Editor Adi Permana
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – Outside a tedious life in the academics, many ITB students participate in the awaited students’ activities to spend their time. The pandemic condition, which has been going on for more than two years, did not hinder the ITB student clubs to execute their events, even with a limited in-campus access, without face-to-face interaction.
The Japanese Cultural Club reorganized its annual event, “Bunka no Hi”, lasting three days from the 3rd of June to the 5th of June. Nonetheless, the online version of Bunka no Hi transpired bombasticall
Establishing the theme of present day Japanese cyber city, Bunka no Hi succeeded in employing its charming touch on the artistic visuals to indulge the eyes of the audience. The unique atmosphere invited a variety of viewers, as far as non-members of the campus.
The first day of the event was brightened by an assortment of JCC divisions, including the Odori Division, Music Division, as well as the Culinary Division, which demonstrated live cooking performance. Meanwhile, the Odori Division performed a few traditional dances such as Sagamihara, Natsu Matsuri, and Haikara. The dances fitted well as an opening for this year’s Bunka no Hi: a jubilant and joyful summer.
Afterwards, the Music Division delivered cover versions of Japanese Pop songs, unfamiliar to fans of Japanese culture. Aside from performances from each division, JCC also exhibited pre-event works such as cover sing, showcase fan-art, and cosplay. Last but not least, stood the Culture Corner who have since introduced Japanese Culture to common people.
On the second day of 4th June 2022, the Cosplay and Manga Division were determined to not be undermined by yesterday’s fanfare. Both divisions also displayed many works, tailored in a unique and compelling manner for the audiences. The three divisions highlighting the first day still partook in the festivities, mingled with other pre-event works. The final closing day on the 5th of June 2022 featured all six divisions, who promoted their inter-division collaboration. For example, the Language Division and Manga Division released their own visual novel, while the Odori Division revealed their partnership with the Hana-B community.
The annual Bunka no Hi never fails to attract the attention of Japanese culture enthusiasts, especially among university students. Not a mere showcase of the club members’ works, Bunka no Hi always embraced inter-community collaboration from other universities such as HIMAJE UGM, Universitas Diponegoro, and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.
“While we’re back to being online, we hope this year’s Bunka no Hi availed on entertaining the public, especially Japanese culture enthusiasts, and we hope next year’s Bunka no Hi will be grander in scale, and with a better quality,” concluded Mochamad Aria Ibnu Rachmat (FI’19) as the President of the Japanese Cultural Club for the 2021/2022 period.
Reporter: Erika Mariana (Metallurgical Engineering, 2020)
Translator: Firzana Aisya (Bioengineering, 2021)
