Japanese summer festival returns to Arlington Heights

The Bon Dancing Festival, featuring traditional Japanese dancers and drummers, Japanese food and drinks, Japanese games and other events, will be from 12-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights.

The traditional Japanese summer festival is at the northeast corner of Arlington Heights and Algonquin roads at the largest Japanese grocery store in the Midwest. Extra parking is available at Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, in Parking Lot A and B.

Tsukasa-Daiko, professional Taiko drummers, will perform at 3 and 5:30 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., Okinawans will demonstrate traditional dance. Shidokan Karate will do karate demonstrations at 5 p.m. And Bon Dancing will be at 6:15 p.m.

At Bon Dancing, visitors are encouraged to dance around the yagura, or tower, where the entertainers play music. The dancing is called Bon-Odori, with "Bon" meaning the Buddhist festival of the ancestors and "Odori" meaning to dance. It is similar to line dancing and there will be many Japanese and American families in colorful traditional kimonos or yukatas (summer kimonos).

Mitsuwa, which holds the event as a bridge between American and Japanese cultures, has prepared 11 songs for the public to dance to, one of which is called Chicago Ondo, an original song honoring Chicagoans.

It is the largest Japanese event in the Midwest and people come from as far away as Ohio and Tennessee to attend. The event is free.