Japanese Festival coming Aug. 6 to Arlington Heights

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For the second year in a row, Yoko Noge's Japanesque will headline Mitsuwa Marketplace's Bon-Dancing Festival in Arlington Heights.

The group with a jazzy fusion of Japanese traditional and Chicago blues, which was well received last year, will perform at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6.

The celebration, called the largest Japanese event in the Midwest, runs from 2 to 9 p.m.

Bon dancing — where families both Japanese and American wear their kimonos or the summer version called yukatas — starts at 7 p.m. It's similar to line dancing around the Yagura, or tower where the entertainers play.

Bon means a Buddhist festival of the ancestors. One of the songs that Mitsuwa has prepared for the Bon-Odori or dancing around the Yagura is called "Chicago Ondo," an original song honoring the people of this region.

Other entertainers will be Tsukasa-Daiko, Taiko drummers; Okinawans, traditional dancers; and Shidokan Karate. Authentic Japanese food and drinks will also be served.

Admission is free at Mitsuwa Marketplace, 100 E. Algonquin Road, and people of all cultures are invited. Additional parking is available at Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road.

For more information call (847) 956-6699.