Held annually since 1995, the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival is not only a celebration of the cultural and social links between Australia and Japan, but it is also a day for supporting local and global communities. (Image: Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival)
By Anna Ngov | @annangov
Run by the Japan Australia Friendship Association (JAFA), a non-profit volunteer organisation, the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival offers an opportunity for people to come together to enjoy Japanese culture and strengthen community bonds.
JAFA president Mike Dunphy, who moved back to Adelaide with his family in 1994 after almost 20 years of living in Japan, decided that he wanted to start something that would showcase Japanese culture and give Japanese people living here an opportunity to come together and openly celebrate their heritage.
“When we moved to Adelaide, there was very little happening in connection with Japan,” Dunphy says.
“The Art Gallery of South Australia has a very big collection of Japanese artworks and, from time to time, they would have an exhibition focussing on Japan.
“Apart from that, there wasn’t much happening. So, I thought it might be interesting to start a festival.”
What started as an important way for Japanese people to show that they are part of the community, is now a 28-year-old event where people of all ages and diverse backgrounds can have a popular cultural experience and enjoy aspects of Japanese culture, language, and life.
“It’s all about trying to keep the connections alive and supporting the community, primarily Japanese, but then giving the wider community an opportunity to learn more about Japan,” Dunphy says.
The name of the festival translates to “Children’s Day”: a major national holiday held on May 5 in the Japanese calendar.
Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival deputy coordinator Hayden Tang says Adelaide’s festival serves as a fun and festive way to embody the values of this tradition here in South Australia.
“It is a day to respect children, honour their strengths and individual personalities, and wish for everlasting happiness,” Tang says.
“We hope [people] embrace the Japanese culture.”
While the festival provides a platform for Japanese culture — through a variety of food and craft stalls, activities, music, and performances — it also serves as a medium for supporting other communities, with donations from the proceeds from the festival being made to humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.
This initiative, through JAFA, began after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
“We donated $10,000 to the Japan Red Cross, then set up the JAFA Disaster Relief Volunteer program and sent volunteers to help,” Dunphy says.
“We donated a further $3000 to OGA for Aid to assist with their efforts to revitalise the local economy and create jobs for local residents.”
Over the years, the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival has since raised between $45,000 and $50,000 to support other communities around the world that have been affected by natural disasters, including Nepal, following the 2015 earthquake; Ecuador, following the 2016 earthquake; and Australia, following the 2020 bushfires and 2022 floods.
A donation from the proceeds from this year’s festival will be made to the Red Cross in support of its humanitarian response to the February earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
“We’re about community, about supporting communities, primarily the Japanese, but any community that we feel is in need of support,” Dunphy says.
“That is where we feel we should be stepping up and doing something.
“That is our whole reason for existence.”
The Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival will take place from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, May 7 at the Thebarton Community Centre.
ontherecordunisa.com 