The Japanese Literature Student Association of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (UDINUS), better known as Hikari held the Japanese Cultural Festival, or Bunkasai once again. The theme of that event was ‘Atarashii Hikari’ and Bunkasai took at the G building’s court for two days from June 17th to 18th, 2023.
The head of the Japanese Literature Major, Dr. Bayu Aryanto S.S., M.Hum., inaugurated the event which was attended by the whole community of the Faculty of Humanities of Udinus alongside several parties involved with the event.
The head organizer, Dendy Ariatna stated that this event aimed to facilitate those interested in the Japanese language and culture. More than 2500 people visited this event and those visitors consisted of students and the general public.
“The theme for this year’s festival bears the meaning ‘New Light’, which intends to facilitate and enlighten those interested in Japanese culture particularly in Semarang and its surrounding areas, as this event hasn’t been held because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he explained.
At that event, the visitors were mesmerized by various Japanese cultures, both modern and traditional ones. Such as Omikoshi, Soran Bushi, Chanoyu, and Hikari Daiko Hikari J-Music, which were performed by Hikari’s members. There were also some competitions open to the general public including, dance cover, anisong, band, coswalk, seiyuu, and Japanese comic drawing known as manga.
“The most rousing competition was the cosplay competition, which was participated by 120 different cosplayers, who portrayed various Japanese anime and video game characters. Not only that but there are lots of visitors who gathered at Bunkasai 2023 with their favorite cosplay,” Dendy added.
The head of the Japanese Literature Study Program, Dr. Bayu Aryanto S.S., M.Hum., said in his greetings that Bunkasai was indeed an annual event to appreciate Japanese culture enthusiasts. Other than competitions and guest stars, the visitors could also enjoy various Japanese food bazaars.
“We hope Bunkasai 2023 could serve as a stepping stone for this event to be held annually. Additionally, our next target is to invite a special guest star from the land of cherry blossoms itself, Japan,” he hoped
The 2023 Bunkasai also invited 10 guest stars that performed band and dance cover performances. At this event, that were 2 special guest stars namely DJ Saddam and a cosplayer from Jakarta, Clarissa Punipun who could captivate the participants with her performance.
On a separate occasion, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Dr. Raden Arief Nugroho S.S., M.Hum., conveyed his gratitude toward the Hikari members for the hard work they had done. He emphasized that this kind of event was an opportunity for students to hone their soft skills.
“We will always provide support and appreciation and this festival is an annual event held by the Japanese Literature Major of Udinus. This year is the first time Bunkasai is being held after the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Humas Udinus)
