2026 Greater Kansas City Japan Festival: SUMO
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, October 3, 2026 | Johnson County Community College
Adult $25; Youth (ages 6-18) $18; Child (5 and under) Free but ticket required; Currently enrolled JCCC student: $8
This year's theme is SUMO! Featuring Famous Sumo Wrestler ASABENKEI and the Shogeki Sumo Team.
The Japan Festival is a one-day event held annually at Johnson County Community College, dedicated to educating and entertaining the Greater Kansas City metro area through an introduction to Japanese culture.
The Festival is presented by the Heart of America Japan-America Society. Since 1962, the Heart of America Japan-America Society (HAJAS) has made it our mission “To further the understanding between the peoples of Japan and the Greater Kansas City area by promoting social, cultural, and educational exchanges.”
The Festival showcases the traditional culture, pop culture, food, and art of Japan, along with the vision, technology, and hopes for the future shared by the people of Japan and the people of the Kansas City area.
It features Japanese musical performances, traditional Japanese foods, Japanese snacks and sweets, a Bazaar shopping extravaganza, exhibits, Japanese cultural village for kids, martial arts, anime and manga, workshops, demonstrations, cultural presentations, and more.
Festival events will be spread out across several buildings on the JCCC campus:
- Food vendors will be in the Commons building (COM), next to and inside the JCCC Food Court.
- Snack vendors will be throughout the Festival.
- Anime/Manga vendors will be in Regnier Center (RC).
- Japan-related booths, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations will be throughout the Midwest Trust Center (MTC) and the Office and Classroom Building (OCB).
- Information tables are spread throughout the Festival—see maps once you get to campus.
- Festival maps will be available on campus the day of the Festival.
- Wristband pickup will be available at Box Office locations in
- Midwest Trust Center (MTC)
- Student Center (SC)
- Regnier Center (RC)
- Outside the CoLab in the OCB
If you purchase tickets the day of the festival, you'll have two locations to purchase:
- The Box Office in the MTC lobby
- The Box Office Satellite in the Student Center
Festival attendees wishing to attend ticketed workshops will need BOTH a ticket to the Festival AND a ticket to the workshop. You can view workshop options after you have added Festival tickets to your cart.