About
About
The Penn State Japanese Culture Society is a group of students who are interested in promoting Japanese culture at Penn State. Our goal is to expose students to various aspects of Japanese and East Asian culture through activities including presentations, discussions, workshops, trips, performances, and events focusing on both traditional and modern Japan. Generally, we hold official cultural meetings every other week but make sure to check our events page for the latest updates and more information about other upcoming events. We hope that by offering these cultural activities we can not only help internationalize the Penn State campus, but also provide an opportunity for Japanese students as well as those interested in Japanese and East Asian culture to experience Japanese culture at Penn State.
History
The Japanese Culture Society was founded in the Fall of 2005 by founding President, Kevin Imafuku and founding Vice President, Danielle Booth. The organization was originally formed to meet a previously unmet need for authentic Japanese cultural activities on the Penn State campus. While other related groups had existed, JCS started out with a goal of trying to help bridge the gap between the United States and Japan and the rest of East Asia by providing an environment for Penn State students to experience authentic Japanese and East Asian culture. Since it's foundation, JCS has since expanded to serve not only the student body, but also several academic departments, community service groups, educational institutions, and the local community.