| x |
|
We arrived in front of the Japan Society
building in New York City which is close to the the United
Nations Plaza. The park was already packed by the time
we made it to the entrance. Considering that New York
is so ethnically diverse, it is not surprising to see some
group or the other having a parade, especially during warmer
days. The Japan Society actually selects a different
setting in which cultural activities are organized in a park
and the only parade is a mikoshi procession. Of
course, there are traditional dances and music shows.
|
 No
Japanese festival can be complete without Japanese
food,
especially because of the popularity of Japanese food here
during recent years. Interesting enough, food was served
in the traditional style with vendors on the side of the road
and cooking being done right there. There were some
exotic dishes of course and since it was a fairly warm day,
green tea flavored ice-cream was quite popular.
The festival
draws people from all walks of life and not everyone there has
been exposed to
Japanese culture. Some of these people had come there
for the first time trying to learn more about Japan and they
were not disappointed. There were several traditional
dances, kendo
display, and of course the most popular mikoshi
parade.
Most visitors
to the festival looked quite amazed by the richness of the
Japanese culture because they have either seen the high-tech
electronic gadgets from Japan or Japanese people visiting New
York who look m ore or less like anyone else with no signs at
all of their rich past.
Japan cultural
agencies and other establishments responsible for promoting
Japanese tourism should seriously consider sponsoring such
events in other parts of the world. In many large cities
in the United States, for example, apart from being able to go
to a sushi restaurant (which more often than not are run by
owners who come from China or Taiwan), there is no other way
to learn more about Japanese culture. Recommended links: Getting to know more about Japan
Discovering
Japan |
