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Families of all cultures came out to enjoy the Dallas Japanese Association’s 2026 Fall Festival on Oct. 4, without concern about rain or shine.
Festival attendees had the opportunity to try mahjong, cultural food venders and learn more from a variety of community resources at the Fall Festival, which was located at 4101 McEwen Rd. in Farmers Branch. A raffle offered an opportunity to win a trip to Japan.
The event highlighted a variety of traditional Japanese performers. The Yui Ballet School, a Japanese community-oriented dance group; DFW Kendra laido Kyukai, a nonprofit dojo that specializes in preserving authentic Japanese martial arts; Dallas Kiyari Darko, a Japanese taiko drum performance group; and Ryukyu Damashii DFW, an Eisa performance group who performs the traditional Okinawan drumming dance, were among several groups showcased during the event.
The festival highlighted several vendors that offer resources for the Japanese community, such as Nakayoshi Initiative, a volunteer-led grassroots movement that partners with North Texas Food Bank to raise awareness about hunger in North Texas and encourage participation from the Japanese community.
Akira Watanabe, who provides independent fertility patient support, represented AHS Wellness Inc. at her vendor booth. She specializes in providing U.S.-based fertility care navigation, treatment preparation, patient education, Japanese/Chinese language support and communication during fertility care to Japanese patients. She also partners with Jennifer J. Chae-Kim, M.D. and DFW Fertility Associates, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Dallas Fertility Center.
Asians Against Domestic Abuse (AADA) offers confidential emotional support in Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, English, Filipino, Hindi, Korean, Malayalam, Mandarin, Punjabi, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Urdu. AADA offers assistance with social service systems, culturally sensitive referrals, legal referrals, interpretation, safety planning and community education. Staff and volunteers with AADA work to strengthen and promote equal and healthy relations within the Asian community.
Richardson High School Japanese Club, Lake Highlands Japanese Club and Berkner High School Japanese Natural Honors Society had booths at the festival. Each of their booths had different games where children could play while helping raise money to support the after-school clubs.
Richardson High School Japanese Club attends community events and has visited the Japanese Garden in Fort Worth.
Students who are a part of Lake Highlands Japanese Club said they would like to raise funds to take a trip to Japan in the future.
The Dallas Japanese Association’s 2026 Fall Festival brought people together to share, celebrate and learn about Japanese culture and traditions. They are a nonprofit organization that strives to promote mutual benefit, friendship, culture and welfare between Japanese and Japanese Americans who reside in the DFW area as well as strengthen the friendships and understanding between Japan and the United States through community interactions.
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