An interactive festival of Japanese culture, a vision of the Arts and Cultural Council of Decatur County, is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Greensburg Elementary School cafeteria.

The ACCDC’s World Spotlight program focuses on an exploration of a different culture every year. This year, the country of Japan was chosen.

The cafeteria will be transformed into a Japanese festival atmosphere, complete with exhibits, professional performances and several diverse hands-on experiences. Performances will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue throughout the afternoon. Admission to the events will be free.

The ACCDC invites the community to come and see the performances, which include a demonstration of Iaido, a form of traditional Japanese swordsmanship, by Indianapolis Budokan. Other performances include a showing of traditional Okinawan dances and drum dances by the Indiana Okinawa Kenjinkai group, a demonstration of Naginata martial arts and traditional Japanese country dances in authentic costumes by the Indianapolis Minyo Dancers.

The interactive experience will provide booths where attendees can have their names written in Japanese, create an origami design, try on kimonos, see Japanese games, watch Dentokan Jujutsu and witness a Sushi demonstration. Some exhibits will showcase photos from Japan and other information as well as native collectibles and displays by local Japanese companies. The afternoon’s festivities are all designed to be enjoyed by people of any age, and the community is welcome to come out to learn about the island nation of Japan.

The World Spotlight on Japan is part of the “Arts for All 2008-2009” programs series of the ACCDC, with support from the Decatur County Community Foundation, Vectren, Duke Energy, ETC, the Columbus Area Arts Council, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Special sponsors for the program include GECOM and STI.