>>>
>>> IN
>>> IN JUST UNDER A YEAR, THE EYES WILL BE ON JAPAN FOR THE
2020 OLYMPICS.
2020 OLYMPICS. AIRING RIGHT HERE ON 11 ALIVE.
WE CONTACT WAIT.
AND IF YOU CANNOT WAIT THAT
LONG FOR ALL THE EXCITEMENT,
LOOK NO FURTHER THAN DULUTH.
THIS WEEKEND, JAPAN FEST IS
BACK IN TOWN.
JOINING US TODAY TO TELL US
MORE ABOUT IT IS DEBORAH
BRANT, FESTIVAL MANAGER.
AND YOSHI DOMOTO, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE JAPAN-AMERICA
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY. WELCOME BACK.
WELCOME BACK. IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL, BY THE
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. I
WAY. I SAW YOU GETTING READY IN THE
GREEN ROOM.
GREEN ROOM. AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
STUNNING.
STUNNING.
STUNNING. CAN YOU SHOW THE BACK?
THE INTRICACY IF YOU GUYS CAN
SEE THAT.
SEE THAT.
SEE THAT. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. AND YOU CAN SEE MORE OF THE
COSTUMES, THE GLAMOUR, THE
FOOD.
FOOD.
FOOD. EVERYTHING THAT MAKES JAPAN
FEST SO INCREDIBLE.
AND IT'S ALL HAPPENING THIS
WEEKEND.
WEEKEND.
WEEKEND. TELL US MORE ABOUT --
>> WELL, THIS IS OUR 33rd YEAR
IN ATLANTA.
IN ATLANTA. AND SO IT'S GOTTEN BIGGER AND
BIGGER EVERY YEAR.
LAST YEAR, WE HAD 22,000
PEOPLE, HOPING FOR EVEN MORE
THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR. IT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE JAPANESE
CULTURE WITH ALL OF THE
SOUTHEAST.
SOUTHEAST. BECAUSE WE'RE THE BIGGEST JAPAN-
RELATED EVENT IN THE SOUTHEAST.
>> I CANNOT BELIEVE IT.
I KNOW YOSHI HAS BEEN COMING ON
YEAR AFTER YEAR.
BUT EVERY YEAR, IT DOES GET
BIGGER AND BETTER.
THE CROWDS COME OUT.
AND WHO ACTUALLY COMES OUT?
IS IT YOUR ORGANIZATION THAT
HELPS?
HELPS?
HELPS? YOSHI TELL ME MORE ABOUT IT?
>> JAPAN FEST IS THIS SEPARATE
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. OUR ORGANIZATION, THE JAPANESE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF
GEORGIA.
GEORGIA.
GEORGIA. >> SO INCREDIBLE.
FOR ANYBODY NOT FAMILIAR.
TELL US THE HISTORY OF THE
GEORGIA-JAPAN RELATIONS.
GEORGIA-JAPAN RELATIONS. AND REALLY ALL THE CONNECTIONS
THAT WE SHARE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WELL, GEORGIA AND JAPAN SHARE A
SPECIAL CONNECTION.
SPECIAL CONNECTION. THERE ARE OVER 600 JAPANESE
COMPANIES IN OUR STATE.
AND DOUBLE THAT THROUGHOUT THE
SOUTHEAST.
SOUTHEAST. BUT THOSE COMPANIES HAVE
INVESTED OVER $10 BILLION IN
OUR STATE'S ECONOMY.
THEY HIRE 36,000 GEORGIANS.
SO VERY CLOSE ECONOMIC TIES.
BUT YEAH, SINCE THE 1970s, WHEN
PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER WAS
GOVERNOR AT THE TIME.
THERE WAS A LOT OF JAPANESE
GOVERNMENTS COMING TO OUR
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. BUT A LOT OF CULTURAL TIES,
EDUCATIONAL TIES.
EDUCATIONAL TIES. MORE AND MORE AMERICANS ARE
INTERESTED IN JAPANESE
CULTURE.
CULTURE.
CULTURE. JAPAN BRINGS EVERYTHING
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. AND WE CELEBRATE SPECIAL
FRIENDSHIP.
FRIENDSHIP. >> AND YOU DO SUCH AN AMAZING
JOB.
JOB.
JOB. EVERY YEAR.
EVERY YEAR. OF COURSE, YOU CHANGE UP THE
THEME.
THEME.
THEME. WHAT IS THIS YEAR'S THEME?
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
>> THE THEME THIS YEAR IS GET
READY TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN.
OLYMPICS 2020.
OLYMPICS 2020. THE BIG OLYMPICS TEAM NEXT
YEAR, WE'RE GETTING READY FOR
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. BUT
THAT. BUT WE'RE PROMOTING THE
VARIOUS.
VARIOUS.
VARIOUS. CULTURE, FOODS, MUSIC.
WE'LL BE CELEBRATING ALL OF
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> WE CANNOT WAIT.
OF COURSE, WE'RE SO EXCITED AND
PROUD TO BE HEARING THEM HERE
ON 11 ALIVE.
YOU MENTIONED FOOD.
LET'S GO BACK TO THAT.
WE'VE GOT ENTERTAINMENT.
AND EVERYTHING YOU CAN SEE.
THE FOOD AND SOUND.
YOU'VE BROUGHT SOME SOME
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. WE'RE LOOKING AT VIDEO.
JUST INCREDIBLE.
JUST INCREDIBLE. TELL US MORE ABOUT ALL THE
DIFFERENT THINGS WE'RE GOING TO
SEE.
SEE.
SEE. >>
SEE. >> WE HAVE 15 FOOD VENDORS.
THEY'LL BE SHARING ALL OF THE
BEST THAT ATLANTA HAS TO
OFFER.
OFFER.
OFFER. WE
OFFER. WE HAVE YAKITORY.
IT'S A GREAT WAY TO TASTE
JAPAN.
JAPAN.
JAPAN. COME OUT TO JAPAN FEST.
YOU CAN GET A VARIETY OF
DIFFERENT FOOD.
DIFFERENT FOOD. WE ALSO HAVE A BEER GARDEN FOR
THE ADULTS.
THE ADULTS. BUT THIS YEAR, WE HAVE A LOT OF
GUEST PERFORMANCES, TOO, RIGHT,
DEBORAH?
DEBORAH?
DEBORAH? >> WE DO.
>> WE DO.
>> WE DO. WE HAVE A COUPLE COMING FROM
JAPAN.
JAPAN.
JAPAN. ONE IS A CALLIGRAPHY ARTIST.
WHO COMBINES JAPANESE ARTISTS.
AND ALSO, WE HAVE -- ARE YOU
FAMILIAR WITH MARIE KONDO?
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. OF COURSE.
OF COURSE. >> HER SENIOR CONSULTANT IS
COMING.
COMING.
COMING. >> FANTASTIC.
>> FANTASTIC. >> AND THAT'S BECOME SO POPULAR
IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE WANTED TO INCLUDE THAT IN
JAPAN FEST THIS YEAR AS WELL.
>> THAT IS SMART.
WE ALL WANT TO UNCLUTTER OUR
LIVES.
LIVES.
LIVES. DECLUTTER.
DECLUTTER. MAKE SOME SPACE FOR ALL THE
THINGS WE SHOULD BE EMBRACING.
AND I KNOW YOU BROUGHT ALONG
SOME VERY SPECIAL GUESTS.
HAD TO GIVE YOU A SNEAK PEEK.
HERE IN THE STUDIOS TO PERFORM
FOR US.
FOR US.
FOR US. TELL US MORE.
>> WITH OUR THEME OF THE
OLYMPICS, PARALYMPICS.
OLYMPICS, PARALYMPICS. NEXT YEAR'S THEME WILL BE
KARATE.
KARATE.
KARATE. TODAY, WE HAD U.S. TITLE
ASSOCIATION.
ASSOCIATION. THEY ACTUALLY COMPETED IN JAPAN
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. BUT THEY'LL BE PART OF JAPAN
FEST.
FEST.
FEST. AND
FEST. AND HAVE KIND OF A MINI CLIP.
I'LL SHOW YOU GUYS A PREVIEW OF
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS
WEEKEND.
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>>> INCREDIBLE. PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT
JAPAN FEST THIS SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY AT THE INFINITE ENERGY
CENTER IN DULUTH.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE, OVER
TO JAPANFEST.ORG