Back in July we visited Charlotte, NC for the Charlotte Japan Festival. This was the third year in a row we attended, and while for my wife and I it was the same old event, it was the first time that my son was actually old enough to enjoy it. He made off with a few books purchased at the book sale event as well as some Anpanman (アンパンマン) swag.
Imagine living across from the Wells Fargo building in such an upscale condo! How nice not to have to operate a car…
No Japanese festival is complete without kingyo (goldfish) catching games
Matsuriza (祭座) mans their stations
Matsuriza in the heat of their action – the drums just roar in the large atrium of the Wells Fargo building
All ages and skill levels participate in the Bon Odori (盆踊り) dance.
I found it interesting that this dance is not typical across all of Japan — our friend from Okinawa let us know that the dance is quite different in Okinawa — it was her first time to see this dance, actually
How does it feel attending these Japan festivals after having lived in Japan? And what does your wife think of them?
I attended a couple in San Francisco during my college days, but the only Japan-related event I’ve ever been to here in Taiwan was a Tottori-ken sales promotion at a local department store a few years ago. At least I got a chance to practice my bad Japanese.
I really appreciate the festival and am grateful that the Atlanta Consulate sponsors this (along with the help of local companies). There are not many cultural activities in the Southeast, and if there are events, they tend to all be in Atlanta only. I think it is a good chance for locals to get to know Japan a little as well. Let’s face it, there isn’t a large Japanese population on the Atlantic coast outside of NYC. Besides the taiko drum performance and the bonodori, they also have ikebana, tea ceremony demos, calligraphy demos, et cetera.
My wife enjoys it too, no so much because she is into Japanese culture, but just because she can see so many Japanese and remember she’s not alone down here in the Southeast. She can normally pick up some used children’s books for our son, and there is usually some nice bento boxes like unagi or ochazuke that she really enjoys.
The only thing I wish they would do is change things up. It has been the same all three years we attended, and the only difference is that our son enjoys it more each time. And I’d make a few changes too. I’d have yattai stands selling regular matsuri foods rather than the local restaurants just selling cold bento boxes. They probably can’t do this because it is in a bank lobby, but maybe the stands could be outside with the permit of the city? I honestly think takoyaki would be a big hit because it is sweet and I think Southeasterners have a spot for sweet foods. I think an Aikido or kendo demonstration would be very popular too, but I guess there are no such schools here. And they could try to promote Japanese baseball and soccer as well.
The only downside is the anime cosplay geeks come out–or the Harajuku dolls–but you just have to ignore them. I’m glad the event tries to shy away from the Akihabara culture.