Many people are becoming JAS members just so they can attend this event.
Bobby, our president, often mentioned that "this year marks our 60th anniversary, so I wanted to make this Christmas party a great memorial event". He planned to invite special guests such as the commander of Iwakuni Base and representatives from the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka.
We planned to project pictures and movies on a full wall.
I borrowed many photos from students in the JAS English conversation class and spent several days preparing them. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to share them on that day.
I'll explain this event in the video.
After the opening ceremony, we enjoyed a Ninja show.
Their performance was great and also their hospitality was amazing. They happily posed for memorial photos with many participants.
One of the ninjas told the audience, "We were short on staff today, so we were very busy."
The next event was Eisa. Eisa is a traditional Okinawan dance often featured at JAS events, such as cultural festivals. Though we can't hear their talking to the audience in this video, it's quite entertaining. The music and chair games were divided between kids and adults. In the 2016 video, you can see the kids really getting into the groove with the music.
In 2015, I attended JAS Christmas party.
It was second for me.
We watched a fantastic "Face-Changing Show," a performance from traditional Chinese opera.
There was a happening before the show started.
One of the performers asked me to take a video of their show.
But I also have to take it for JAS.
I ended up using two cameras simultaneously.
So, I sat on the floor, balancing two cameras on both my lap, and took a movie.
Please enjoy the video below.
In 2018, unfortunately, a tragic accident occurred. There was a collision and crash involving a fighter jet and an aerial refueling aircraft. Due to this incident, most of the events on the base, including this one, were canceled.
From around 2019, this event was called the Holiday Party.
I couldn't attend that year.
So, I asked other staff to take videos and I edited it for Facebook.
One of the highlights was the dancing experience.
Usually, Tony plays the role of Santa Claus.
But this year, Xavier Gomez, president of the JAS, took on the role.
2019, JAS held this event successfully but in 2020, it was canceled due to COVID-19.
From 2021 to 2023, I was very busy with my work and I'm not sure if it was held during those years.
This year, 2024, even if it takes place, I won't be participating.
The participation fee is already high.
What's worse for the Japanese is that the weak Yen affects the quality of the food at the event.
This is the end of this event article. Thank you for reading a long story.