One of Oxford Academy’s newest clubs on campus, find OA Japanese Club in Room 404 every Wednesday! A look inside the room will find enthusiastic students sharing Japanese traditions with presentations and group bonding activities. Striving to diversify cultural appreciation on campus, the club covers a wide range of topics, from the Japanese language to film comparisons.
“We hope to teach our members about Japanese culture so they could appreciate it more than just surface level, which often stops at food, anime, and J-Pop,” said club president Nina Larsen, a junior. “We want to show the traditions, customs and people because we want people to appreciate other cultures than just their own.”
Motivated by a love for her heritage and noticing its lack of representation at Oxford, Larsen started OA Japanese Club this year as she saw an opportunity to involve students in Japanese traditions and lifestyle. On Nov. 11, the club hosted a group of Japanese foreign exchange students at Oxford. Members got the chance to experience and interact with Japanese culture while sharing some of their own culture in return. Through a focus on education and connection, OA Japanese Club hopes to expand students’ knowledge of Japanese heritage beyond typical preconceptions.
“As a Japanese club, there’s still a stigma no matter what we do that we’re an anime club [and] some people question whether non-Japanese people can be a member or lead the club,” Larsen said. “But as a culture club, we want people to realize that there’s no limit to appreciating another culture. Whether or not you’re a different ethnicity or race, that doesn’t matter. Appreciating another culture comes from your heart.”
