After an absence from any festivals in Tokyo for over a decade, issues modified this 12 months as my spouse and I assumed it’d be a good suggestion to mix our common lengthy Sunday morning canine walks with journeys to a few of these occasions. For a six month interval between March and September we went to 5 weekend festivals celebrating the cultures of nations from Asia, Africa, North America and Europe.
Fiesta Mexicana @ Odaiba, Koto-ku; Sunday fifteenth September.
The smallest of the 5 festivals was most likely the Mexican one however that’s what would be the essential focus of this put up. On a boiling scorching mid-September day we took the practice all the way down to Tokyo Teleport station in Koto-ku over an hour earlier than the beginning time of 11:00am. It didn’t happen the place I assumed as we discovered it accidentally through the canine stroll a part of our journey across the LOVE signal and Statue of Liberty space.
Our chihuahua gave the impression to be fairly glad in a beforehand untouched space for him or possibly he was simply enthusiastic about being at a competition celebrating the land of his (nice, nice, nice) grandfather!! I used to be fairly up for all of it too and it gave me an opportunity to put on what I believe is the GOAT (best of all time) of soccer shirts. The Mexico World Cup 1998 shirt is an absolute basic with its iconic, cultural and historic Solar Stone design representing the nation’s pre-Hispanic roots. Not unhealthy for a shirt made by a bit of identified Mexican producer!
There was dwell music on this stage in a while!
Not lengthy after arriving, I grew to become a mariachi band singer! Cultural appropriation, eat your coronary heart out!!
There have been a dozen or so stalls promoting every kind of vibrant clothes, tote luggage, equipment, hats and wrestling masks.
Mexico could have taken prime billing for this competition nevertheless it was actually extra of a Latin American one celebrating that area. There have been stalls promoting meals from the likes of Peru, Brazil and Chile. I recognised the proprietor of the latter as I bear in mind visiting his restaurant (Casa de Eduardo) in Nakano nevertheless it was on a day once they have been closed. I had additionally seen him in a YouTube video since then so we spoke to him and one among his employees members for a bit while my spouse waited for her rooster leg to be prepared.
Nonetheless hungry after that we completed the morning by sharing an enormous burrito (1000 yen). This delicacy is one which I actually do love however simply don’t have fairly often in any respect. It was actually tasty and I might most likely have eaten one other one however not at that worth!!
Bonus: All-in-all we attended 5 completely different festivals in 2024 celebrating the tradition of different international locations. The opposite 4 have been all in Yoyogi Park in Shibuya ward and of various dimension.
- African Heritage Pageant, Sunday twenty third June.
- Jamaican Pageant, Sunday twenty third June.
Two for the value of 1 on this event as they have been going down subsequent to one another on the identical day. Sadly the circumstances have been a bit of moist so we didn’t spend such a very long time at each however between us we sampled some foods and drinks at them each.
- Thai Pageant, Sunday twelfth Might.
Our time in Thailand simply over a decade in the past was maybe our most memorable journey so we now have loads of love for the nation, and this competition was a simple method of reliving that partly by sampling a variety of meals and watching a Thai dance present. Not surprisingly, there are various Thai eating places in Tokyo and variety of them have stalls at this competition which implies it’s one of many busiest and hottest festivals to happen in Yoyogi Park.
- Inexperienced Eire Pageant, Sunday March seventeenth.
This was my first competition for a lot of, a few years and doubtless the one which sparked my curiosity in going to the others seen on this put up. I loved it a lot that I used to be eager to return to see different international locations celebrated in such a method. Extra particulars right here.
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Click on right here to learn ‘The Crowds Come Out To Have A Sham-rockin’ Good Time At The Inaugural Inexperienced Eire Pageant 2024’
Click on right here to learn ‘Tokyo Daytripper Particular: TF Prime 10……Quirky Japanese Festivals’
Click on right here to learn ‘Eating Out: Round The World…In Tokyo! Pt II’