The Greater Kansas City Japan Festival is back and will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Johnson County Community College, Midwest Trust Center and Regnier Center buildings, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
According to the Japan Festival website, “it 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.”
One of the events will be a “Zen Meditation Workshop” presented by Dr. Sarah Aptilon, on Oct. 8 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in the Midwest Trust Center, room 122.
“A lot of research on meditation (which is what Zen is all about) has shown that it lifts mood, lowers blood pressure, calms anxiety, improves focus, enhances creativity, and improves relationships,” Dr. Aptilon. “Those are just a few of the benefits that have been rigorously studied and reported. I don’t think science yet fully understands why meditation is so beneficial for human beings, both mentally and physically. Only that it is.”
According to her bio on the website, Dr. Aptilon lived and practiced in a Buddhist monastery for seven years in Kyoto, Japan. While there, she studied and taught meditation, as well as led workshops and retreats. She is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at JCCC.
Student tickets are $10 with a student ID. For more information, click here.
Kyle Willard, volunteer reporter