Looking at the pictures in the slideshow below, you'd think they were taken in Japan. They feature street food such as grilled pork and yakisoba, traditional textiles such as tenugui and kimono, and fighting sumo robots, things found in Japanese culture. But these photos were actually taken in the East Village, at Saturday's Cool Japan Festival.
Cool Japan Festival is the first of three Japanese cultural events organized by JapanTown. (The other two are Healthy Food and Green Festival on Sunday, August 22 on Madison Avenue between 43rd and 45th Streets and Soul Food Festival on Sunday, September 26 on Lexington Avenue between 93rd and 96th Streets.) JapanTown's aim is to introduce Japanese culture to New York City, and what better place to begin than in the East Village, where there is a high concentration of Japanese restaurants and shops.
Food vendors included Hakata Tonton, Umi no Ie, Otafuku, Go Restaurant, and Go! Go! Curry! In addition to booths serving cold noodles and okonomiyaki (a Japanese-style pizza/pancake with octopus filling), there were many tents selling Japanese goods. Ruri Kippenbrock of Wuhao NY was there selling tenugui, Kiteya had kimono dressing, and online store Rikumo displayed Japanese accessories such as handkerchiefs and tabi (split-toed socks).
Reni Mimura and her Moe Moe Dancers set up shop in Reni's Cosplay Cafe. Nearby, young people were dressed as their favorite anime characters and offered free hugs. Representatives of the International Shinto Foundation performed purification rituals and discussed Japan's native religion with passersby.
Some festival goers learned about the ancient art of shodou, or Japanese calligraphy, from Seikou Shodou, while others received hands-on experience in modern technology with the help of Dr. Robot.
It was the perfect taste of Japan, old and new, stretched across two blocks of the East Village.
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