Cultural Demonstration: Traditional Japanese Soroban

Join us for a special soroban presentation by Miwako Sakabayashi, President of Soroban League North America, featuring demonstrations by visiting students from Japan and the United States at the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center. Soroban, the Japanese abacus, was introduced to Japan from China more than 500 years ago and was refined into the uniquely Japanese style still used today. For centuries, it played an important role in education, business, and everyday life in Japan. Even in the digital age, soroban continues to be valued as both a practical calculation tool and a powerful method for developing concentration, memory, mental math skills, and a deeper understanding of numbers. During the presentation, visiting students from Japan, together with students from the United States, will demonstrate the results of their daily soroban training through exciting live performances and rapid mental calculation exercises. Guests will also learn how soroban students visualize numbers and perform amazingly fast calculations using the abacus. After the lecture, guests are invited to join Miwako Sakabayashi and participating students in the Yanai Classroom for a hands-on soroban experience. Students will teach visitors simple calculations using the abacus, offering a fun and interactive introduction to this traditional Japanese learning tool. This event is included with garden admission.