Hey folks! I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but I just finished recuperating from the Obon Festival here in San Jose, California. Right now, I’m tending to the sunburns I’ve received from standing out in the sun too long (thank God for Aloe Vera) and reminiscing about the awesomeness I just saw over the weekend! In lieu of all the fun and excitement, I wrote a special haiku (type of Japanese poetry) for this festival since I now have a favorite dish:

Takoyaki is my favorite meal

I want to buy it every day

That sweet and savory dish

Bad? Yes, I know. But this haiku doesn’t show how great the Obon Festival itself was. Located in San Jose, California, the Obon Festival makes an appearance once a year to it’s culture-loving citizens. All things festival-related, like entertainment, food stands, shop vendors, and games, but all Japanese! Just standing there while everything goes on around makes you feel like you’re not in a crowded downtown urban street.

The Obon Festival was started by San Jose’s Buddhist Church Betsuin*, which serves as a religious and cultural center for San Jose’s residents. The Obon Festival was started as a way to celebrate and remember one’s ancestors. Albeit, San Jose’s Obon Festival isn’t as great as the one in San Fransisco, but they take pride in their community as small businesses and volunteers alike excitedly help out during this two-day occasion with its booths, games, and performances.

Speaking of booths, when I attended the festival I found that it had an outdoor market feel. One walkway area that contained most of the food booths had netting for sun protection (lucky for me, there was a slight breeze  around the afternoon) as you can see on the picture to the right. The food booths were open right around noon and I was grateful to try out a few new dishes that I haven’t gotten the pleasure to eat at Japanese restaurants. One dish, called Takoyaki, is a type of squid ball made up of an egg batter mixture with pieces of squid inside. I found how unique it was on how they cook these tiny little delicacies on a specialized hotplate full of tiny domes where the chef turns the partially-cooked Takoyaki mixture upside down as it slowly cooks itself into a ball-shape. AMAZING! I’ve also tried Imagawa Yaki, which is a Japanese waffle-like pastry (Oishi~!) that almost looks like a small cake.

Walking around, it’s easy to get from one place to the next so from the food area, I ended up at the games section. I was slightly disappointed at the variety of games since most were ones that you would commonly see at amusement parks. Penny toss, Ring toss, and Ball toss (these games are a lot harder than they look)…but I guess the simplicity of it all is what make it great. They even had a booths where you fished out ducks in order to win and another booth where you had to putt a golf ball into the hole.

What really made my day was when the performances were happening at the main stage (Yes, they had Bingo, too). Taiko (meaning “drum”) is a specialized drumming performance and is widely popular during Japanese festivals.  UC Davis, Standford, UC Irvine, and UCSD’s students participated with their own groups throughout the day as they performed Taiko for the community. With vibrant costumes and amazing performances, the sound of the drums seemed like rhythmic thunder to my ears.

Now, if you haven’t attended the Obon Festival in your area, I suggest that you go and absorb Japan’s wonderful culture! You might learn a thing or two…I know I did!

Next year, I’m going to buy a bucket full of Takoyaki!!!!

Tags: California, Japan, Obon Festival, Taiko, Takoyaki