Japan Society of New Orleans upcoming events

Sensu Fan Art Workshop (Sun, April 12, 2026)

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Tokyo-based art facilitator and founder of Yaco Arts Tokyo, Yasuko Onishi, will be vising New Orleans and wants to connect through an inclusive community art workshop. Yasuko will lead a sensu fan art workshop. The sensu (扇子) is a traditional Japanese folding fan, designed using paper or silk that's mounted on bamboo slates. These fans symbolize the spreading of good fortune. At this workshop, attendees will create their own decorative art on a fan that they'll be able to take home.

You can view all of Yasuko's art here.

This event will be held at Brieux Carré Brewing Co. on Sunday, April 12th. The first session will be from 2:00 - 3:30PM and the second session from 3:30 - 5:00PM. Registration is required ahead of time for this event, with a registration fee of $15.00. The deadline to register has been extended to April 11th due to a need for an added session. There will be no refunds for cancellations.

For questions, email japansocietynola@gmail.com.

JSNO Happy Hour @NOLABrewing (Wed, April 15, 2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Interested in meeting more people interested in Japan? Want to discuss your recent trip? Need advice for your upcoming trip? Just need an excuse for a drink after a long day of work?

Join us for food & drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic!) at Nola Brewing and Pizza Co! We have had a great turnout in the past and several familiar faces! Friends & family are welcome! Looking forward to seeing everyone, meeting some new people & continuing to grow JSNO within the local community! See you there!

* NOLA Pizza & Brewing is a family friendly venue! Feel free to bring the family, as they have arcade games and other things for kids to play with! *

Date: Wednesday, 15 April

Time: 6:30pm until 9:00pm

Place: NOLA Brewing & Pizza Co, 3033 Tchoupitoulas St, NOLA 70115

Kwaidan Book Club: "Gate to Kagoshima" (Sun, April 26, 2026)

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Interested in historical romantasy books (romance fantasy)? We have an adventurous read for our Kwaidan Book Club. We'll be reading and discussing Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki. Let's travel back in time to the last samurai era of Japan, along with the FMC (female main character) as she discovers more about her family history.

This meeting is in-person at Kung Fu Tea at 3348 W Esplanade Ave S, Metairie, LA 70002.

About the Book:

(Page count: 320 pages)

In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.

While in Japan researching her family’s history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance.

But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion—and Kai’s fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she’d had before?

Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Gate to Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty, and of timeless love.

Note: the paperback book is beautifully designed and features colored and illustrated sprayed edges—purple with stenciled moonscape and cherry blossoms.

About the Author:

Poppy Kuroki is the author of Gate to Kagoshima and Passage to Tokyo from the Ancestor Memories series. She was born in Scotland, grew up in England, and lived in Japan, where she worked as a writer and freelance editor. She lives in Yorkshire with her family.

Information provided by Barnes and Noble.

Nihongo Renshuu (Conversation Practice) (Sun, May 03, 2026)

Sun, 03 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Nihongo Renshuu is back with another meeting in May! As the name suggests, it is now focused on conversation with other activities being involved occasionally. It'll truly be a practice session for those wanting to practice their Japanese. Our new program chair, Aina, will guide participants into Japanese conversation.

This program is free and open to all who are looking to practice their Japanese speaking skills (meaning some prior Japanese knowledge is required)! Please register online for this meeting as spots are limited.

Meeting details:

Where: The Coffeehouse - 7265 St Claude Ave, Arabi, LA 70032

When: Sunday, May 3rd from 2:00pm - 3:30pm

GiveNOLA Day 2026 (Tue, May 05, 2026)

Tue, 05 May 2026 05:01:00 GMT

GiveNOLA Day is back on Tuesday, May 5th! Sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, GiveNOLA Day is the community’s one-day, online giving event to inspire people to give generously to the nonprofit organizations who make our region a stronger and thriving community for all.

JSNO GiveNOLA Day Donation Page

We hope you find yourself in the position to make a donation (minimum donation is only $10). If so, please consider making a donation to the Japan Society of New Orleans! Every dollar donated from 12:00am to 11:59pm on May 6th will be increased with additional “lagniappe” dollars provided by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and our generous GiveNOLA Day sponsors.

In addition, there is a Rock Around the Clock Prize of $500. Any non-profit receiving at least one unique donation of $10 or more in an hour is eligible for the drawing. To sign up for an hour to make JSNO eligible for the $500 prize, use this link:

Rock Around the Clock Sign Up

With your support and contribution, JSNO will continue providing a cultural bridge between New Orleans and Japan through our ongoing programs and events with our Krewe of Japan Podcast, Japan Cinema Series, Nihongo Bin, Nihongo Renshuu, Kwaidan Book Club, Cultural Exchange Programs, and more. Additionally, your donation will assist in funding some of your favorite annual events like Japan Fest, sake tastings, dinner gatherings and more.

Use the link below to donate and thank you for your support!

Link to JSNO GiveNOLA Day Page

Kwaidan Book Club: "The Outsider" (Sun, June 14, 2026)

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

We will be reading and discussing the book The Outsider: The Life and Work of Lafcadio Hearn by Steve Kemme. Dive into the extraordinary life journey of the man who inspired the name for the JSNO Kwaidan Book Club. This book will let us see into Lafcadio's childhood, his career path, his life in Japan, and his works on Japanese folklore.

Opportunity Alert:

Author Steve Kemme will be the keynote speaker at the first-annual Lafcadio Fest, celebrating the life and work of Lafcadio Hearn, to be held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Esplanade Ave on Saturday, June 20th! He will be holding a panel where attendees can ask questions about his book.

This meeting is in-person at Kung Fu Tea at 3348 W Esplanade Ave S, Metairie, LA 70002.

About the Book:

(Page count: 272 pages)

Step into the extraordinary life of the man who made an impact as an observer wherever he lived, and went on to become the leading western interpreter of Japan and Japanese culture—a position he still occupies today.

Born in Greece and abandoned as a child, Lafcadio Hearn lived the life of an exile. He travelled the world and became a famous writer but always felt like an outsider—in Dublin, London, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and French-speaking Martinique. To him, none of these places felt like home.

Hearn's life in America was punctuated by a string of successes and failures. In Cincinnati he became the city's best-known crime reporter but was fired after marrying a black woman. Devastated, he moved to New Orleans, where he championed French Creole and Caribbean culture and created the city's image as a place of voodoo and debauchery (the image which many Americans still hold today).

Hearn arrived in Japan at a time of historic change. Sent there as a correspondent, he soon found himself alone and jobless. He settled in the remote town of Matsue, firmly believing that Japan would provide him with an endless supply of rich writing material—perhaps enough to last a lifetime.

Over the next dozen years, Hearn published 15 books which were lauded by the likes of Mark Twain, William Butler Yeats, Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin. Hearn's books made him famous as the leading writer on Japan and Japanese culture.

This book includes a foreword by Bon Koizumi, Hearn's great-grandson and director of the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Matsue, Japan.

About the Author:

Steve Kemme is president of the Lafcadio Hearn Society/USA and a former reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer, where Hearn formerly worked. He is a member of the Japan Research Center of Greater Cincinnati and has spoken at Hearn symposiums worldwide.

Information provided by Tuttle Publishing.

Japan Fest 2026 (Sat, October 10, 2026)

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

This is the single largest Japanese cultural event of the year for the New Orleans Metro area. JSNO will have tables to spread the word about the Society, raffle off traditional and pop Japanese items, and try on Samurai armor courtesy of Japan Foundation, New York. In addition. there will be Japanese arts and crafts for sale, taiko drums performance, Japanese dance & tea ceremonies, along with plenty of food and drink. This is an all ages Festival with something for everyone.

Admission is $10, but if you sign up for a slot to volunteer through JSNO, you get a wrist band for free admission. Interested in working one or a couple of the tables at Japan Fest? Sign up today using the link below!

Note: Table sign up is limited to members only who are of 18 years or older.

Japan Fest JSNO Sign Up

Come out and help support your local Japan Society by joining in on this great event!

JSNO Annual Meeting 2026 (Thu, November 05, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 00:30:00 GMT

We will be holding our Annual Meeting at the Southern Yacht Club on Thursday, 5 November 2026. Our Principal Speaker is TBD.

Please log on and register for this free to membership event to hear what's going on with your Japan Society, engage with our Guest Speakers and confirm next year's Board and Officers.

We will have a silent auction to raise money for our Exchange Fund. See our website Home page for pictures of the items (to be posted soon).

Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar (please bring cash; credit cards not accepted) will be available starting at 6:30 and after the meeting. If you wish to renew or join, membership payments will be accepted at the registration table.

We look forward to seeing you there!