Ohio State’s Japanese Student Organization will host their 20th annual Spring Fest Sunday. Credit: Courtesy of JSO
For the Japanese Student Organization’s 20th anniversary Spring Fest Sunday, members said they aim to bring a sense of belonging alive in an extra special way with games, performances and local Japanese vendors, connecting students and the Columbus community alike with Japanese culture.
The four-hour event is designed to be an open, roam-around experience. Doors open at 1 p.m. and performances run from 2-4 p.m. in the Union Performance Hall. While attendees are free to wander throughout the event, the final 4-5 p.m. hour is designated for any additional exploration. Zhen Henrikson, fourth-year in computer and information science and president of JSO, said the event is open to all.
“Our Spring Festival is an annual, large-scale staple event of ours that we invite not just OSU students and faculty to, but we extend that invitation to community members just in the greater Columbus area,” Henrikson said.?
Henrikson said preparation for the event began about one year in advance, following the transition to a new executive board. Invitations to vendors and performance groups were sent out in November with responses rolling in throughout January.?
Along with coordinating entertainment, JSO prepared unique outreach materials — one being an event pamphlet written fully in Japanese. This pamphlet was sent to the Columbus Japanese Language School, called “hoshūkō,” which is the term for a supplementary Japanese school, said Megumi Agerton, a third-year in chemical engineering and co-chair of graphic design for JSO.
“Usually Japanese families will send their children on Saturday to school, and they go through a fully Japanese curriculum,” Agerton said. “We really encourage those families to come and have a great day [and] look at Ohio State, but also enjoy this event that we’re putting on.”
Agerton said the Columbus Japanese Language School is also one of the event’s sponsors.?
In an effort to reflect a traditional Japanese summertime festival, Henrikson said two games, known as Yoyotsuri and Shateki, will be included at the event. She said Yoyotsuri contestants must fish out balloons from a pool of water and Shateki is a NERF gun game in which participants can earn various prizes.?
Additionally, Henrikson said attendees can enjoy food from local vendors: Akai Hana, Belle’s Bread and Cuppa Cha, while watching eight performance groups including Columbus Koto Ensemble, TPoK, Aikido, Nex + Crew, Daebak, Queen of Aces and J2K. She said all groups, excluding the Columbus Koto Ensemble, are Ohio State student organizations.
The event will also include two performances put on by JSO — Soranbushi and The Officer Dance. The Officer Dance will feature all board members in a show, which Argerton said they’ve been rehearsing over the past three months.
“Not all of us are dancers, but it will be fun to see how our hard work play[s] out,” Argerton said. “Not only with all of the booths and decor and everything like that, but just in a more fun way with the dance as well.”
Additional external groups that will be present Sunday include martial arts group, Naginata, The Columbus Bonsai Society and Dragon Ikka. Henrikson said attendees will have the opportunity to purchase bags, shirts and more from Dragon Ikka, a Columbus calligraphy and art brand.?
“JSO was the first community that I truly felt was mine,” Henrikson said. “I’ve always wanted to give back [and] share with the community — beyond just students — and know that young adults, children [and] families in Columbus have a place where they can come and feel welcome and feel connected to their heritage.”
This story was updated April 4, 2026 at noon to correct the spelling of Agerton’s name and remove an artist who is no longer performing.
