Did you know? Arizona has been hosting the Japanese Matsuri for almost 25 years now!

Matsuri is ‘festival’ in Japanese, so it would be semantically wrong to dub the festival as ‘the Matsuri festival.’ The Matsuri of Arizona is a very extensive festival to celebrate the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun in American Soil. And what a very extensive festival it is.

They have tons, and I mean, lots and lots of events. They have the famous Kyo Rei Taiko Kai, or the beating of the Japanese drums in the streets. The ondo, or the japanese folk dance in the streets as well. There is also the modern “J-Rock” fest, more drummers and even hands-on demos for the interested individual. Very exotic and very nice to look at. It’s an explosion of music and dancing for the whole day and up until night.

There’s also the Budokai, which is nihonggo for martial arts tournament. It is a highly interesting competition open for all forms of martial arts. There are displays of katana drawing (shinkendo), spear play (naginata jutsu), and fencing (kendo). Hopefully, by the next few festivals, they could include other forms of weaponry like the Japanese bow, or those cool ninja stars and sickle-chains. I have always wondered about those ever since I was a wee little.

For the kids, there is the cosplay (kosupure) or costume play, organized by the local comics organization. While the older folks can have a hand with the weapons, the kids can do well with their favorite anime characters coming to life (made by fans, for fans).

The event lasts for two days, but each hour is packed with enough events to make you go Japanese. It’s highly organized, and the publicity is good. Tourists in Arizona are advised to join in the festivities, if not for the sights and then at least for the sounds. I’m sure everyone will love it.