Brazilian Day Japan (September 3rd, 4th 2011) has both a main stage with capoeira and samba dancers, while food stalls feature a mix of Brazilian-style barbecue, pastels and cocktails. There are also a few non-food stalls advertising Brazilian-run businesses and those with a more tenuous connection.
I sampled food from a variety of different vendors, although it was mostly too bland and greasy for my taste. It’s unfair to judge the cuisine of an entire nation based on a few fast food stands on the other side of the world in Japan, but I will say I preferred the food at the Thai and Indian festivals held in the same location.
Of all the food I tried, kibbeh was the best and reminded me of koftas, with its spicy, nutty texture. On the other end of the scale, a delicious-looking sausage had big chunks of juicy fat hidden inside. It was vile.
My friend who’d invited us in the first place is actually Brazilian, and told us the food was pretty authentic. As a vegetarian though, he dodged the worst of it.
The capoeira display on the main stage was impressive, but a little difficult to see as this martial art often uses the ground as a base to make attacks. There are also the famous handsprings and acrobatics, but the photos don’t turn out so well when half the performer’s body is hidden behind someone’s head. Luckily, the group later formed a capoeira circle (or Roda) just outside of the festival grounds, which was much easier to watch.
Soon after, a samba school called Gres Alegria performed in feathers, sequins and costume jewellery against a backdrop of bubbles. There are plenty of photos of their colourful costumes below… but only one of the food!
Click on any of the photographs below to see them at a larger size. The majority of them are available at 1024×768 size, perfect for desktop wallpaper.
All photos below are 1024×768 size.
The notice on the website said the festival was on, but Typhoon Talas was passing over Shikoku and leaving even Tokyo drenched. The question was whether heavy rain would stop the last chance to see Awa Odori this summer at a festival known as “Odore, NishiHachi Natsu Matsuri” (Summer Festival in Nishi-Hachiouji).
Awa Odori is a Japanese dance originally from Tokushima in, yes, Shikoku. Its most distinctive feature, aside from the movements and the way the female dancers stand on the ‘tips’ of their wooden sandals, is the straw hats. Shaped like a half-moon and covering half the face, they are called amigasa.
As you can see by the photos, the matsuri took place more-or-less as planned. If you look closer (click on the landscape-oriented photos to view at 1024×768 resolution), you can see the dancers’ hair is slick and some of the yukata is becoming see-through around the sleeves. Yes, they really did dance through a typhoon! The only concessions to the weather was wrapping fans and paper lanterns in clear plastic and a shortening of the performance time.
It’s worth mentioning that there were about four or five children performing, some of whom hadn’t even reached elementary school age. Due to their age, I won’t upload them to the wilds of the internet, but the crowd adored them.
Click to see the photographs at a larger size. Landscape-oriented photographs are at the correct proportions for desktop wallpaper.
Summer is almost over, or so we hope, which means that so are events connected to Obon, the Japanese festival of the dead. The term ‘Obon’ covers private ceremonies in the home and community activities such as Lantern Boats and Bon Odori.
Bon Odori (or its English translation, Bon Dance) was held recently in my area. This year, the event was so crowded that I didn’t get a chance to dance. Nevertheless, the feeling of being surrounded by so many beautiful lanterns at night (and having shaved ice or a beer from one of the stalls!) is an amazing feeling.
Please click on any of the photographs to see them at 1024×768 resolution.
