The doors of Shea are propped wide open, welcoming in the autumn winds and visitors alike to the Japanese pod’s semester event. Upon entering, each attendant is greeted by the J-pod members in their bright orange yukata, their called Japanese and English greetings, as long as their wide smiles, welcoming everyone in.
The first station one comes across is origami, where brightly colored and boldly patterned squares of paper cover almost the entire surface; gentle instructions are shared and followed, the sound of folding paper creating a soft undercurrent to the conversation surrounding this table.
As one continues on, they’re invited to try various types of Japanese food and drink. On one table is the matcha stand, where the earthy-flavored liquid is being stirred and poured into plastic cups, everyone able to add as much or as little milk as they want to the green drink. Next to it is the Japanese curry, the large pot carried to and from the kitchen as it’s continuously filled with the rich and delicious dish. Finally, there’s the onigiri station, where visitors are instructed how to shape the rice balls and encouraged to post a picture of their meals with the hashtag #onigiriaction in order to send food to children in need.
While visitors eat their food and fold their origami, I pull out a chair from one of the tables and stand upon it. Clapping my hands together, I gather everyone’s attention, announcing that it’s time for the kendama tournament. The objective of this tournament, played with a toy that has a ball on a string attached to wooden handle and cups, is to get the ball to land in the cups as many times as possible in one minute. All the players within this bracket are impressively good at this game, each finding tough competition within the others. However, only one winner can be crowned, and it turns out to be—drumroll, please—our very own Shea RA, Ben Barnes! I clap my hands and smile along with my fellow members of J-pod, my fellow Shea residents. And we all cheer together.
Written by Chloe Ross ‘26