CAMP ZAMA, Japan — Every yr, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Japan District participates within the annual Bon Odori Friendship Festival hosted on Camp Zama. Opening the set up gates to native Japanese residents, the occasion stands as one of many neighborhood’s largest celebrations, drawing in additional than 15,000 guests for a night of meals, music, conventional dancing and spectacular fireworks organized by Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR).
This yr, Col. Patrick Biggs, USACE JED commander, and Lt. Col. Simratpal “Simmer” Singh, USACE JED deputy commander, joined within the festivities, collaborating within the conventional dance ceremony whereas carrying yukuta (cotton summer time kimonos). Their participation displays the district’s dedication to participating with host-nation neighbors and constructing lasting relationships that stretch far past technical mission websites.
“Engineering excellence requires a foundation of trust,”mentioned Lt. Col. Singh, deputy commander of USACE JED. “Events like Bon Odori are essential in building that trust and bridging cultures. When we celebrate together as a community, we strengthen the interpersonal bonds that make our shared mission possible.”
While USACE’s major mission in Japan focuses on delivering world-class engineering and building assist, neighborhood engagement occasions just like the Bon Odori pageant are important. They exhibit the depth of the U.S.- Japan alliance by means of significant, private cultural exchanges.
Obon, a Japanese Buddhist customized noticed to welcome and honor ancestral spirits, is widely known yearly, and Bon Odori are conventional dances are carried out in the course of the pageant to welcome the spirits and have fun. Today, the pageant has developed into an enormous, inclusive celebration of neighborhood, meals and friendship.
For the Japan Engineer District, these moments strengthen our connection and helps allow USACE to proceed delivering engineering excellence in assist of each nations.
Source: U.S.Army