“We’re hoping to expose people to a little bit of the Japanese culture here in Michigan,” Douglass said. “We hear a lot about China and India and sometimes other areas of Asia like Pakistan or North Korea.”

The series started with a flurry of toys, songs and origami Sunday at the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road, as many residents and their children gathered for the Japan Children’s Festival. The festival taught children about growing up in Japan, how to make origami and how to write their names in katakana — a Japanese symbol-based writing style, Douglass said.

The four-day event continues at 7 p.m. tonight with the presentation of a Japanese film, “Departures (Okuribito).” On Tuesday, Ken’ichi Sasaki, a professor of archaeology in Tokyo, will present a lecture at the International Center detailing the mystery surrounding Japan’s little-known burial techniques.

Ethan Segal, event organizer and associate professor of Japanese history at MSU, said Sasaki’s degrees from Harvard University and the University of Michigan help him speak about Japanese issues in terms Americans can understand.

“It’s a rare chance for our students to talk with someone who’s really a world-renowned expert in his field but also knows something about the American college experience,” Segal said.

To close out the week of Japanese events, the Asian Studies Center will host “Japan and the Environment,” which are two lectures examining the way Japan handled its environment, said William Londo, event organizer and associate director of the Asian Studies Center.

Londo has been involved with Japan Week in the past, and said although many students on campus might not be Japanese, the events still generate interest.

“There’s a definite constituency on campus for activities relating to Japan,” he said.