2018 Entertainment

​A full day of music, dance, martial arts, ​a roving Japanese Candyman, and Taiko.

Emcee
John Gale
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2018 Performances and Demonstrations

Jim Duncan Stage

​Musesouth
​Sol Kendamas

Martial Arts on the Lawn

​Fudoshinka Dojo Kenpo Karate
​Mid South Aikido

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​​Masaji Terasawa, the Candyman, is coming to the Memphis Japan Festival! The Candyman is a traditional street performer and a one-man-show from Japan. After he moved to the United States, the Candyman began entertaining at Disney World's Epcot Center and now travels to Japanese festivals throughout the country. The Candyman is said to be the only person in the U.S. practicing the  ancient Japanese art of amezaiku, sculpting hot taffy into shapes of animals, and he will also keep us entertained with magic tricks and stories.

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Daikin Taiko Drum Team from Decatur, AL will open the Festival at 10:00 a.m. Daikin is the largest producer of air conditioners in the world.   They will perform four times during the day, sharing Japanese culture with taiko drumming and authentic Japanese bon-odori dancing. Be ready to dance with the Daikin group. They love for the audience to join them.
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The Kent Family Magic Circus is a mixture of circus, theater, and vaudeville, with a sprinkle of side-show. All put on by the Kents, a family of nine that travel and perform all over the United States. Victor Kent received his first magic kit from his grandmother at the age of seven and it wasn’t long before he was entertaining family and friends. Victor and Mami Kent traveled and performed in Japan for several years before returning to the United States and are performing now with their seven wonderfully talented children, all beginning their career in magic at the age of three as magician’s assistants, then moving on to their own area of interest. As you can imagine, this adds a lot of variety and fun to the show!