Whether it’s for a memorable first date or a fun-filled day out with old friends, this year’s 12th annual NC Japan Summer Festival marks the perfect place to experience all Japanese culture has to offer — and it offers a lot. The Nippon Club of the Triangle, the Triangle’s very own Japanese culture association, puts on the festival each year to ignite the community through cultural festivities. This year’s festival will be located inside the North Carolina State Fairgrounds’ Kerr Scott Building, and will take place Saturday from 1-8 p.m.

Boasting everything from Sapporo Japanese beer, to traditional Japanese drumming to a generous amount of homemade Japanese eats, this year’s festival is bound to satisfy Japan enthusiasts of all types. For Rocky Iwashima, president of the Nippon Club of the Triangle, the nonprofit group has come to feel like home.

“Our club was founded in 1990,” Iwashima said. “So, it’s been almost like a tradition. Our mission is just to promote the cultural exchange between Japan and North Carolina.”

Although the festival will offer many Japanese traditions, such as an authentic tea ceremony and various karate groups, Iwashima said the food is always the biggest attraction. This year, the NC Japan Festival plans to serve over 20 authentic Japanese street food items which, Iwashima said, cannot be matched even by the best of Japanese restaurants. Some of the mouthwatering offerings will include yakisoba, Japanese-style crepes and a wide variety of sushi rolls — however, Iwashima has a personal favorite.

“This year I recommend the ramen, which is not usually supplied in the heat of the summer but, this year, I think we can serve these hot Japanese noodles,” Iwashima said. “Ramen has become popular even here in Raleigh, North Carolina.”

When he’s not busy participating with the Nippon Club of the Triangle, Iwashima can frequently be found practicing taiko, the elaborate art of Japanese drumming. Acting as the leader of avid Japanese drumming group Triangle Taiko, Iwashima has been playing alongside his group members for 15 years now. The renowned drumming group will be performing at the festival, further developing its already abundant cultural palette.

Foster Thorbjornsen, the festival’s event coordinator, has worked with Iwashima to ensure this year’s much-anticipated event is a success. One of the ways Thorbjornsen has ensured the festival’s positive outcome is by moving it to an air-conditioned indoor location, as the NC Japan Festival outgrew its previous location at the North Carolina State Japan Center due to its booming popularity among locals. For Thorbjornsen, being a part of the Nippon Club of the Triangle means more than simply being an active community member. It means sharing the beauty of a culture that can only be described as magical.

“Our club exists for the purpose of introducing people to Japanese culture,” Thorbjornsen said. “We focus on spreading that culture around the Triangle area and, also, bringing a little bit of culture and food from home for Japanese people in the Triangle, and for the many people in the Triangle area that have lived and worked in Japan before.”

In addition to the wealth of festive booths and traditional Japanese dishes, the festival will feature two Japanese singer-songwriters  — Junko Fujiyama and Lisa Furukawa — who will play current Japanese hits. Due to its generous amount of Japan-inspired activities, the NC Japan Festival acts as a lively cultural hub all on its own.

“We’ve got the food, the culture, taiko music and dancing, and many other things,” Thorbjornsen said. “It’s a good place for people to get together and experience something different.”

Festival tickets, as well as food vouchers, can be purchased here.