Huntington Beach : Japanese Culture Festival Will Honor Sister City

In honor of one of its two sister cities, Huntington Beach will host a cultural festival at the Civic Center next Sunday highlighting the culture of Anjo, Japan.

Sponsored by the Sister City Assn. of Huntington Beach, the event will include Japanese food, an arts-and-crafts contest, a silent auction, door prizes and entertainment.

Children will receive origami on a stick, with free lessons for the first 1,000. Origami is the ancient art of folding paper.

Entertainment will include koto music, taiko drums and Japanese folk singing, along with a traditional wedding kimono show and two classical Japanese dance troupes.

Japanese floral arranging, calligraphy, the classical tea ceremony, swords, gardens, Kimekomi dolls and koi fish will all be on display.

In addition, the city of Anjo has donated hundreds of gifts for the auction, including works of art valued at $300, according to auction officials Larry Krum and Keiko Olson.

The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at and around the Civic Center Amphitheatre, Main Street and Yorktown Avenue. Admission is free.

Huntington Beach’s other sister city is Waitemata, New Zealand. The sister city program is designed to “develop a mutual understanding between two cities and to strengthen international friendships through exchanges and cooperation in economy, arts, education and sports,” said Mary Ann Tamura, cultural festival chairwoman.