The Japanese after-party

When the Japan-America Society of Washington launched the first Sakura Matsuri festival 50 years ago, it was a small affair. But what started modestly as a mere “friends and family bazaar,” according to the festival’s website, has expanded over the years to include musical performances, live entertainment and exhibits containing just about everything that one would associate with the country to which Washington owes its famous cherry blossoms. Today, the Sakura Matsuri stretches across six blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street, drawing close to 150,000 visitors annually.

“Right after the parade, rain or shine,” said the festival advertisement, and although past festivals — 2006, in particular — suffered low attendance due to bad weather, such worries were unwarranted this year. Scores of festival-goers stopped by on Saturday, April 10, to watch the performances, browse the shops, sit around on the lawns and line up for refreshments in the sizzling April sun.

{mosads}A great variety of elements from traditional Japanese culture were on display. Visitors could make an offering or pray at the Shinto pavilion, explore collections of bonsai and ikebana, watch battling samurai, or enjoy a bowl of green tea in accordance with Japanese tradition: guests seated on the floor, hunched forward over a low table. On one of the stages, expert bowmen were demonstrating kyudu  — Japanese archery — while an expert explained the principles of “true shooting” to captivated onlookers. The emphasis lies on aesthetic appeal and spiritual connection rather than strict accuracy, he explained as the archer on stage returned to the back of the stage, bow and head held low in calm, unshakeable concentration.

In equal measure, the festival showcased modern Japanese trends and youth culture. Eager to pay tribute to the home country of all things wacky and candy-colored, many young people came dressed for the occasion (panda backpacks, cat ears, samurai swords, Hello Kitty memorabilia and luminescent wigs were all in attendance). Near the Metro station, a group of Japanese girls had set up a stereo and were doing an energetic, aerobics-like dance routine to bouncy Japanese pop songs. Visitors could also pose with “cosplayers” — people dressed up as their favorite characters from manga comics or video games.

A hot ticket was the Kirin beer booth, where visitors aged 21 and up would gather in groups around tables over a glass of Japanese beer or sake. More expensive, but almost as popular, was the sake tasting booth, where participants could pay $20 to sample six different kinds of Japan’s signature rice wine.

However, the longest lines (unless you count the ones to the bathroom stalls) quickly assembled in front of the food vendors. Sushi, teriyaki chicken, egg rolls, noodles and brightly-colored Japanese soft drinks were all favorites, as were freshly made smoothies and lemonade to cool off from the heat.

The musical performances drew an enthusiastic crowd as well. Spirit + Noise, an experimental rock quartet whose music could be described as a mix between fast-paced traditional Japanese music and electric rock, seemed to be having a lot of fun on stage — as did their audience. On the other end of the festival grounds, Emi Meyer, a Japanese-American jazz singer, commanded the attention of festival-goers with her husky voice.

Also performing was a band called Jonetsu Marie & Shabon High School (“Marie and the Soap Bubble High School”), whose name proved a perfect match for its colorful and somewhat contagious style of music.