IT MAY seem obvious what the Japanese Club does, but it’s surprising what they do. The Japanese club meets in room K113 on Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. until around 3:30 p.m. “During this time, we do all sorts of different activities like Jeopardy, Karaoke, and origami,” Corrina Culver (10), the Japanese Club secretary, said.

At the beginning of the year, the whole club voted on what they wanted to do and what they were OK with doing. They even voted on who they wanted to be the secretary, vice president, and president. But after that, Culver started planning the activities for every week, and she even brought things to the club for a better experience, although she did wish she could buy more things for the club like prizes and Secret Santa. 

Mrs. Fukuda has been advising the Japanese club for seven of the nine years she’s been teaching Japanese at Granger. It isn’t necessary to even be in the Japanese class. “There are no requirements to join the club,” Mrs. Fukuda said. “You just have to have the desire to learn more about Japan and their culture,” she said. 

The club’s main goal is to learn about Japanese culture, food, fashion, literature, movies, games, and even more. The activities celebrate that culture. “I do wish that we could do more food-related activities like making onigiri or rice balls,” Mrs. Fukuda said. Some of the members share that wish as well, so they’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Unfortunately, some people aren’t respectful of Japanese culture. That doesn’t change the fact that the Japanese club is like a big family. Just entering the club allows students to open up and feel safe. “My favorite thing is being able to see everyone come together and all have fun,” Sera Safford (10) said.

“Although it can get loud at times, it’s still wonderful to see,” she said. 

Peyton Stoddard’s (10) favorite thing about the club is joining people who have and can share her interests. “A Japanese club is a place where people with different interests and personalities can get together and share,” she said. 

Some people joined because they were interested and some joined because of friends. Once Michael Whitmore (10) joined, he loved the Japanese club right away. “Just being in the club inspires closeness and makes you want to learn more about each other,” he said. 

“I wouldn’t change anything,” said Mrs. Fukuda. “It’s nice to see how so many people can all get along with each other,” she said.

Lancers looking for a club to join for next year or maybe even the rest of this year should seriously consider joining. The club would love new people who share a love for Japanese culture. “We would love to have more people in the club! They never know if they like it or not without joining!” Stoddard said.

Whether you’re looking for friends, people who share your interests, or even a great community the Japanese club has it.