Japanese culture

Prior to performances of "Momotaro: The Peach Boy of Japan", there will be a festival of games and cultural activities for families and a presentation on Japanese settlers in Nebraska by Vickie Sakurada Schaepler. The games and cultural activities will be at 6pm on Nov. 22 and 1 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Omaha Jewish Community Center (JCC) - Eisenberg Gallery. The presentation by Vickie Sakurada Schaepler will be in the Omaha Jewish Community Center (JCC) - Alan J. Levine Theater before the performances of "Momotaro" on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $24 at the door. For more information, or to buy tickets, visit https://circletheatreomaha.org/mainstage-season/ . Momotaro is a beloved Japanese folktale about a boy who is miraculously born from a giant peach. An elderly, childless couple discovers the peach floating down the river, and when they try to eat it, it splits open to reveal a baby boy inside. They name him Momotaro, meaning “Peach Boy,” and raise him as their own.  As he grows up, Momotaro becomes strong and brave. When he learns about a band of ogres who are terrorizing nearby villages, he sets out on a journey to defeat them. Along the way, he befriends a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant by offering them delicious millet dumplings and they join him on his quest.  Together, they travel to Oni Island, work as a team to outsmart and defeat the ogres, and return home victorious, bringing back treasure and peace to the land.  The story is narrated in the traditional clown style by beloved Japanese figures, with iconic tricksters bringing chaos and cleverness along the way.