West Bloomfield High School’s Japanese club features an impressive diversity of members and gives students the opportunity to become knowledgeable about Japanese customs and culture. A wide variety of activities are offered to allow members to be open to the Japanese culture. Members have the opportunity to go to Japanese events around the community, attend guest lectures from Japanese professors, and learn Japanese traditions. Most members of the Japanese club also take Japanese as a foreign language. However, if you are not taking Japanese, the club is still being welcoming to all of the students interested in learning about the culture of Japan.The advisor of this club is Mitzi Brady, who is also the teacher of Japanese at the high school.  The members get to perform a traditional cultural play in front of an attentive audience. Members also get the opportunity to create projects and presentations themselves to share with the rest of the club.

This club also gives you an insight on modern Japanese life. Members get the opportunity to watch Japanese dramas, play traditional games, and learn the Japanese art of manga, a long-practiced Japanese comic in which people of all ages read. They cover topics like action, adventure, athletics, and romance. Over the last few years, Manga has gained the attention of people all around the world. Manga have even been created into TV shows for children to enjoy, and the Japanese club gets the chance to learn about and watch this amazing art.

Dana Korogodsky (sophomore), in the club, enjoys “the culture that we are exposed to.” Korogodsky goes on to say that, “the club is a great opportunity to get an idea of the customs and traditions that my own family doesn’t participate in. I also love getting to know students who have the same interests as I do.”

The executive board consists of Alana Goldstein, Melissa Palmer, Tyra Briscoe, Liliane Pukhrambam and Tyler Reynolds. All in all, West Bloomfield’s Japanese club is an environment that really opens students to new ideas and customs of the Japanese culture that they would have minimal access to otherwise.