The Japanese University Meal Project has planned numerous cultural events for the coming semester to encourage students to explore Japanese culture.

By sharing Japanese food, JUMP is sharing the culture, said JUMP President Kiko Himeno.

“(Many) American people have not been to Japan so we want them to be interested in Japan,” Himeno said. “Our name includes ‘Meal Project,’ and we want to sell things we can make originally. We want to make Japanese food that we have here so American people can make it themselves if they really like it.”

JUMP sold a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice balls and miso soup, as well as Japanese pickles and tea on Feb. 3.

“The goal of JUMP is to give everyone at UNA a taste of Japan,” said Vice President of JUMP Daichi Shigematsu. “We hope to enlighten or interest people by sharing our culture. (We want to) let people who never had a chance to explore Japanese culture see what Japanese culture is like.”

JUMP will be hosting a Japanese bake sale in the GUC on Feb. 24.

“We will be selling anpan, which is red bean bread, dango which (has the) texture like rice cake, oshiruko, which is like a sweet soup and matcha doughnuts,” Himeno said. “All except the doughnuts are traditional.”

The food JUMP sells requires a fee. At their Japanese breakfast, each individual item cost $1 while a bundle of two rice balls and a bowl of miso soup cost $2.

“The money we make from these events becomes the budget of subsequent events,” Shigematsu said.

Money raised from the food sales also goes to the Sakura festival in April, he said.

“We will have the Sakura festival and we want to make free food and T-shirts for the event,” Himeno said. “We haven’t decided on the exact date, but it will be in April.”

Aside from their namesake of food sales, JUMP hosts numerous movie nights throughout the semester with the theme “A Taste of Japan.”

“Japanese movies have a lot of Japanese culture in them, so it’s an easy way to explain it,” Himeno said.

“A Taste of Japan” was inspired by a member of JUMP at the outset of the organization.

“JUMP originally started as a food event, but once it became the sole Japanese RSO at UNA, (member Tony Mashburn) decided we could do something more to depict Japanese culture,” Shigematsu said. “Movies and TV shows became a quick and convenient way to do so.”

JUMP holds their meetings every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Stone Lodge across from the Guillot University Center.

“If you are interested in Japan even a little, you are so welcome to join our events,” Himeno said. “Come have fun with us.”