Hagi Culture Festival
In my town, opportunities to explore the intrigue and mystery of Japanese culture are always available. This weekend I attended the annual city-wide culture festival held at city hall. I'll attach pictures in order to enhance my recap of the event.
As with most festivals here, there is always plenty of food. Here you see me standing next to an array of ika (squid) that have been hung up to dry.
They are cut into thin strips and eaten in a similar fashion as one would eat beef jerky. These unfortunate cephalopods are also batterred in a delicious marinade, slow-cooked over a grill, and served in a plastic take-out tray where one can enjoy a fanstastic lunch. 
Once you manage overcome its unfamiliar texture and transform it into a nice paste inside your mouth, all that's left is to get past the thought that this poor creature was alive probably 10 minutes before, and you're well on your way to assimilating into this culture.
Besides food, there is also live entertainment. This crew comprised of several strange-looking characters was performing for groups of children that had collectively formed an audience.
The song they played was a jazz version of "When the Saints go Marching In," immediately calling to mind a James Bond movie entitled Live and Let Die. The scene I was reminded of featured James attempting to elude his pursuers through a Mardi Gras procession in the French Quarter district in New Orleans. I'm not even sure if the song was the same but it was reminiscent nonetheless.
As a side note, sometimes you see Japanese people wearing certain items of clothing, all the while completely oblvious to just how funny the whole situation is. The chances are slim that this guy knows what FUBU stands for, and I was lucky to snap this decent picture since he was walking away from me rather briskly.
I live right above an arcade that stretches a quarter of a mile, and its lined with various shops and markets from which one can buy a variety of consumer goods. On Sunday morning the festival continued, as I was snatched from a dream by screams that sounded something like battle cries (for the record, I've never been in a battle).
When I came down investigate the source, after turning the corner to enter the arcade I was immediately flabbergasted as I saw a procession of Samurai headed towards me.
Likewise, the young boy in the photo seemed to be affected in the same way. See how he runs away in pure terror as the Samurai approach.
I thought about delivering a morning welcome to this man, but the stern expression on his face and the kitana at his side seemed to have a quieting effect on me.
As with most festivals here, there is always plenty of food. Here you see me standing next to an array of ika (squid) that have been hung up to dry.
They are cut into thin strips and eaten in a similar fashion as one would eat beef jerky. These unfortunate cephalopods are also batterred in a delicious marinade, slow-cooked over a grill, and served in a plastic take-out tray where one can enjoy a fanstastic lunch. 
Once you manage overcome its unfamiliar texture and transform it into a nice paste inside your mouth, all that's left is to get past the thought that this poor creature was alive probably 10 minutes before, and you're well on your way to assimilating into this culture.
Besides food, there is also live entertainment. This crew comprised of several strange-looking characters was performing for groups of children that had collectively formed an audience.
The song they played was a jazz version of "When the Saints go Marching In," immediately calling to mind a James Bond movie entitled Live and Let Die. The scene I was reminded of featured James attempting to elude his pursuers through a Mardi Gras procession in the French Quarter district in New Orleans. I'm not even sure if the song was the same but it was reminiscent nonetheless.
As a side note, sometimes you see Japanese people wearing certain items of clothing, all the while completely oblvious to just how funny the whole situation is. The chances are slim that this guy knows what FUBU stands for, and I was lucky to snap this decent picture since he was walking away from me rather briskly.
I live right above an arcade that stretches a quarter of a mile, and its lined with various shops and markets from which one can buy a variety of consumer goods. On Sunday morning the festival continued, as I was snatched from a dream by screams that sounded something like battle cries (for the record, I've never been in a battle).
When I came down investigate the source, after turning the corner to enter the arcade I was immediately flabbergasted as I saw a procession of Samurai headed towards me.
Likewise, the young boy in the photo seemed to be affected in the same way. See how he runs away in pure terror as the Samurai approach.
I thought about delivering a morning welcome to this man, but the stern expression on his face and the kitana at his side seemed to have a quieting effect on me.
posted by Alex Cruz at
3:45 AM
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