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Your Window To Asia Opens Saturday At The Institute Of Texan Cultures

It comes around once a year, and when it does, San Antonio’s Asian population takes center stage.
The 27th annual Asian Festival is all in one day, and it happens on Saturday from 10 a.m.-5p.m. at the Institute of Texan Cultures.

"There’ll be stages for music and dance, there’ll be food vendors with authentic specialties from China and Japan, India, Laos and Cambodia, so many wonderful food opportunities," said ITC Senior Communications Specialist James Benavides.

There will be plenty of entertainment and eats, but there’s also a little something for your mind. Lectures on Asian culture.

"Ideas on Chinese folk medicine and acupuncture, there’s the opportunity to learn how to play mahjong with some of our Chinese community," Benavides said.

It strikes me as a good way to stretch children’s exposure to other cultures and countries, and Benavides said the event is quite family-friendly.

“There’s a wonderful storytelling called Kamishibai, which uses puppets and illustrated cards to tell Japanese folks tales," he said.

There will be firecrackers, lion dancers, martial arts, and the list goes on. Benavides said that list is quite long, and here's why.

“Asia’s a big place and there’s a lot of mystery and there’s a lot to learn about it," he said. "So we’re going to learn about India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and so many of these other Asian countries. It’s a fascinating history and they’re a wonderful people."

Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii