Hello!
On November 2nd, the Japan-America Society is hosting the 2025 Memphis Japan Festival at the Memphis Botanic Garden!
The Memphis Japan Festival is a fun, family-friendly, interactive and hands-on experience of Japanese culture. The Festival will be held outdoors, rain or shine, at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Festival highlights include traditional and contemporary Japanese music and dance, martial arts demonstrations, cultural lectures, arts & crafts, merchandise, children's activities, sumo-suit wrestling, tours of the Japanese garden and a variety of Japanese cuisine featuring special menus from local restaurants and food trucks.
If you would like to volunteer with us please read the the descriptions below and make sure to follow the instructions listed directly after them:
There are various jobs and shifts that we have for the Festival listed below:
- Assist exhibitors and vendors with unloading
- Assist exhibitors and vendors at unloading areas and with set up at their tents
- 7:00 - 9:30 AM
- Assist exhibitors and vendors at unloading areas and with set up at their tents
- Volunteer Check-In
- Check-in volunteers. Assist as needed.
- 7:00 - 10:00 AM, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 1:00 - 4:00 PM
- Check-in volunteers. Assist as needed.
- Floaters
- Assist as needed in all festival areas. Assist exhibitors and vendors with set up and unloading before the festival and breakdown and loading at the end of the festival.
- 7:00 - 10:00 AM, 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM and 1:30 - 5:00 PM
- Assist as needed in all festival areas. Assist exhibitors and vendors with set up and unloading before the festival and breakdown and loading at the end of the festival.
- Greeters
- Hand out festival programs and survey. Answer questions from festival-goers and provide directions.
- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
- Hand out festival programs and survey. Answer questions from festival-goers and provide directions.
- Sumo Wrestling Circle
- Get sumo suits ready for wrestlers. Assist wrestlers putting on sumo suits. Disinfect suits after each match. Collect signed waivers from all wrestlers. Monitor and set times for each match.
- 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM and 12:30 PM - 4:00 PM.
- Get sumo suits ready for wrestlers. Assist wrestlers putting on sumo suits. Disinfect suits after each match. Collect signed waivers from all wrestlers. Monitor and set times for each match.
To register as a volunteer, please complete the steps below:
1. Respond within this platform to assure that your hours are properly recorded to your profile.
2. Complete registration via our internal volunteer page linked here (Memphis Japan Festival Volunteer Page) or by clicking the form listed our website here (MJF Volunteer Application)
- on our form some positions fill quickly, as others from different platforms sign up and so certain shifts are not included when signing up through Volunteer Memphis. When you sign up through our website - the job you pick may not be the one you work, but the time that you sign up for will stay the same.-
Information regarding parking, schedule, and arriving at the festival will be sent out by email by (wferguson@jastn.org)
Tips and Info:
- You can work several shifts if you would like to do so.
- The dress is casual and whatever you are comfortable in with being outside.
- Volunteers are provided with a thank you gift, pizza, snacks, water, and free access to the Botanic Garden and the festival.
For additional questions, please contact William Ferguson via email (wferguson@jastn.org)
For questions about the Japan-America Society of Tennessee you can call (615-663-6060).
