The Baltimore Japan Art Festival (BJAF) takes place Sept. 28-29 at several venues located around the Station North Arts District of Baltimore, MD. The programming will showcase Japanese culture through traditional and contemporary art, film, music and food, targeting an audience of students, residents and cultural supporters in the Baltimore area. The festival aims to provide a platform for Japanese artists and cultural experts to expand American audiences' perceptions of Japan and build interest in Japanese culture.

Scheduled events for BJAF 2018 include:

• A lecture & art exhibition from featured guest Yusuke Nakamura, a successful freelance illustrator known throughout Japan for popular album art, book covers, advertisements and anime character designs. BJAF is partnering with MICA to host the lecture as well as a gallery exhibition of Nakamura's work. This event is open to the public.

• In collaboration with the JICC in Washington, DC, BJAF is once again hosting the New York Japan CineFest, an annual short film festival featuring work by Japanese & Japanese-American directors.

• The “Aki Matsuri” is a free outdoor cultural festival offering activities for all-ages, including performances, workshops and food vendors. The intent is to mimic aspects of a traditional Japanese School Festival to engage the local community with unique aspects of Japanese culture.

• The Crown will host a multimedia nightlife event featuring Japanese pop-culture visuals and DJs playing Japanese music sets.