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The is a one-day event held annually at ÌìÑĺ£½ÇAPP, dedicated to educating and entertaining the Greater Kansas City metro area through an introduction to Japanese culture. The Festival is presented by the Heart of America Japan-America Society. Since 1962, the Heart of America Japan-America Society (HAJAS) has made it our mission “To further the understanding between the peoples of Japan and the Greater Kansas City area by promoting social, cultural, and educational exchanges.”

The Festival showcases the traditional culture, pop culture, food, and art of Japan, along with the vision, technology, and hopes for the future shared by the people of Japan and the people of the Kansas City area. It features Japanese musical performances, traditional Japanese foods, Japanese snacks and sweets, a Bazaar shopping extravaganza, exhibits, Japanese cultural village for kids, martial arts, anime & manga, workshops, demonstrations, cultural presentations, and more.

Discover the symbolism of the iconic masks of Noh and Kabuki theater. Unveil the mystical tales of the kitsune, oni, tengu, samurai, and more. And even learn how the concepts of honne (true feelings) and tatemae (public persona) reflect an important duality in Japanese society. Marvel at hand-crafted masks that once warded off demons or summoned good fortune and see how stylized masks in cosplay, known as animegao, serve to blend tradition and modernity in Japan’s pop culture, fashion, and performance arts.

Whether curious about the mysteries of Japan’s masks or inspired by the elegance of various traditional arts, the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival is sure to delight people of all ages. Join us as we showcase a fusion of ancient rituals and modern creative expression highlighting how masks remain powerful tools of transformation, bridging the old and the new in Japan’s ever-evolving cultural narrative. Prepare to be enchanted—every mask tells a story.

This year's festival will include three different workshops, each offered three separate times. Workshop tickets are $20 each, and are separate from Festival tickets. To attend a workshop, you must have both a Festival ticket and a Workshop ticket. Mask Making and Tea Ceremony Workshops are limited to 25 participants each session. Calligraphy Workshops are limited to 20 participants each session.

The workshop sessions are:

• 10 a.m. Mask Making Workshop, MTC 234 (one mask per ticket; must be age 6 or older; one guardian is allowed to be admitted with a youth age 12 or younger)
• 10:30 a.m. Tea Ceremony Workshop, MTC 232 (must be age 13 or older)
• 11 a.m. Calligraphy Workshop, MTC 212 (must be age 13 or older)
• 11:30 a.m. Mask Making Workshop, MTC 234 (one mask per ticket; must be age 6 or older; one guardian is allowed to be admitted with a youth age 12 or younger)
• 1 p.m. Tea Ceremony Workshop, MTC 232 (must be age 13 or older)
• 1:30 p.m. Calligraphy Workshop, MTC 212 (must be age 13 or older)
• 2 p.m. Mask Making Workshop, MTC 234 (one mask per ticket; must be age 6 or older; one guardian is allowed to be admitted with a youth age 12 or younger)
• 2:30 p.m. Calligraphy Workshop, MTC 232 (must be age 13 or older)
• 3 p.m. Tea Ceremony Workshop, MTC 212 (must be age 13 or older)

Festival events will be spread out across several buildings on the ÌìÑĺ£½ÇAPP campus:

• Food vendors will be in the Commons building (COM), next to and inside the ÌìÑĺ£½ÇAPP Food Court.
• Snack vendors will be throughout the Festival.
• Anime/Manga vendors will be in Regnier Center (RC).
• Japan-related booths, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations will be throughout the Midwest Trust Center (MTC) and the Office and Classroom Building (OCB).
• Information tables are spread throughout the Festival—see maps once you get to campus.
• Wristband pickup will be available at Box Office locations in
  • Midwest Trust Center (MTC)
  • Student Center (SC)
  • Regnier Center (RC)
  • Outside the CoLab in the OCB

If you purchase tickets the day of the festival, you'll have two locations to purchase:

1. The Box Office in the MTC lobby
2. The Box Office Satellite in the Student Center