EVENT: Arts & Crafts Fundraiser For Japan

The Art Lover and Japanophile in me is very excited for this event! 

Saturday April 16th, New York Hana-no-kai and NIHONGOchannel are hosting 

the Arts & Crafts Fundraiser for Japan. 

Food, Drinks, Art, Fellow Professionals, and of course Models.

Because we all know that all real parties have beautiful women in kimono just lounging 'about

For more info check out the official blog post for the event. 

28 East 63rd Street, NYC (between Madison and Park Avenue) 

Admission is $5 (but more is always humbly accepted)

100% of the proceeds from admission and gallery sales, 50% of bar sales, plus a percent of craft shop sales will go towards the New York Japanese-American Lions Club Fund! 

Hope to see you there! 

La Tenoli

EVENT: Don't Give Up Japan!

My {Japanese} aunt sent me an email this morning with information about an event happening on Thursday March 24 to raise money for Japan. 

There will be refreshments at the event. So I encourage you all to come out and network with some of the amazing people who will be there. 

RSVP by tomorrow March 22nd by email to yokom@shipsltd.com or mayagorgoni@gmail.com

For those who can't make it to the event but still wish to donate, please visit http://www.ifrc.org/en/get-involved/donate/

I'll be doing my best to attend the event and would love to see some of you there.

By the way, please check out the new EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUNDS tab above to find other ways of donating by purchasing items online. 

La Tenoli

EVENT: Meet Hello Kitty Designer Yuko Yamaguchi!

A few years ago, I got a chance to meet Hello Kitty herself at Japan Day in Central Park -- There's probably only one other experience that could top that, and that's to meet her mother, Yuko Yamaguchi!

Just a few months ago Hello Kitty released a makeup/beauty line at Sephora (is there anything you can't get with HK's face on it?) Next week MARCH 16th Sephora will be hooking up Hello Kitty fans with a chance to meet Yuko Yamaguchi and have her autograph up to 2 items!

But this isn't just one of those show-up early and get a wristband kind of events - you gotta shell out some mula. No problemo! The first 200 people to spend $35 on Hello Kitty products THAT DAY get a wristband and a guaranteed lifetime experience!

The lucky Sephora store is in downtown's shopping hot spot, SoHo!
555 Broadway, New York, NY (between Prince and Spring) [closest train - N, R]
(212) 625-1309


For more details, check out the events page for the Sephora store here.

Glad I got a chance to share this with you guys! Here's to hoping I can somehow sneak out of work and meet Mama Kitty in the flesh!

La Tenoli

EVENT: Japanese Films @ NYICFF 2011

 I've been an avid fan of anime since the early age of 6 when Sailormoon dominated my early morning routine. A few weeks ago I got a newsletter in my inbox about the NY International Children's Film Festival and I was excited to learn about the two Japanese films they'd be screening during NYICFF -- Time of Eve & Welcome to the Spaceshow

TIME OF EVE

It was probably this screenshot of the film that really encouraged me to read more about the film (and eventually purchase a ticket for a showing). It's like an less cutesy, more adult-like version of Chobits. Here is a small description of the film:

Covering territory explored by Blade Runner and I, Robot,Time of Eve is an exquisitely drawn, sci-fi allegory that probes questions of artificial intelligence and emotions, while flirting with the moral and personal implications of human-robot romance. 

Welcome to the Spaceshow's summary and art style didn't really manage to grasp my attention quite like Time of Eve did, but it seems to be quite popular since all three screenings were sold out and 4th one was recently added.

WELCOME TO THE SPACESHOW

 With an intergalactic cast of thousands, Kojo Masunari’s colorfully explosive debut feature sets a new high for visual spectacle and sheer inventiveness of character design – in what has to be one of the most gleefully surreal depictions of alien life forms ever portrayed in cinema. 

Fans of subtitles will be pleased to know that both films will be shown with their original Japanese audio accompanied by English subtitles.

I'd definitely encourage you guys to check out these and other films at the NYICFF! The film festival officially start this Friday March 4th! So make sure to buy tickets while you still can!~

For movie and ticket information check out the link below!

http://www.gkids.tv/intheaters.cfm

Stay tuned for more Japan in NYC events!

XOXO
La Tenoli

Hip Hop Meets Anime/Manga @ Kinokuniya!

Last week on Saturday I attended the Valentine's Day Manga/Anime event at Kinokuniya hosted by Hip Hop USA and Samurai Beat Radio.
I was most interested by this event because of it's anime/hip hop fusion. How many times do such "different" interests come together? There was even a sneaker designing contest that unfortunately I was unable to attend (the guy in front of me was the last person to get a shoe! >__<)

Although the idea as a whole was great, the execution wasn't. I was left pretty unsatisfied by the hip hop panel since their discussions of anime in American hip hop failed to include artists like Lupe Fiasco and Soulja Boy. Vice versa, they never mentioned contemporary Hip Hop Japanese artists like Crystal Kay, Exile, and Jero.  Besides sneakers and the panel, there wasn't much else that was very hip hop about the whole event. Most of the people that attended were yaoi-fan otakus or never-see-the-sun otakus and it was disheartening because I expected to meet other anime/hip hop fans like me. Still I found a way to have fun and forced Atomsk to volunteer in the maid dating game! :3

Check out some pictures of the event below and a video of what Atomsk won!

Hope you all enjoyed the post & stay tuned for more!

La Tenoli

EVENT: A Hip Hop Valentine's Day @ Kinokuniya

It's still pretty chilly in the Big Apple, but the sun's coming out and the weather's really looking up for the Valentine's Day weekend! 
Yesterday I came across some information on a Valentine's Day event being held at Kinokuniya this Saturday!  For all those hip-hop and anime/manga lovers - you're gonna wanna check out the details (below) and start scheduling your plans around this! 

Hip Hop Sneaker Art Workshop (2:00 PM): Officially kicking off the day, we start with something not too heart-shaped as Samurai Beat Radio, Hip Hop USA, and PJ Pop present a Sneaker Art Workshop. Attendees and artists will be given blank white sneakers to fill with their favorite anime and manga illustrations courtesy of Hip Hop USA. Participating fans will have a chance at prizes including having their work turned into a limited-edition sneaker.
Anime and Hip Hop Panel (2:30 PM): Following the Sneaker Art Workshop, Samurai Beat Radio will delve into the connections between anime and hip hop cultures in a discussion about the influence of hip hop on anime and manga art as well as notable Japanese hip hop artists.

( *** for information on other events not shown here, click the link*** )

Hip Hop Sneaker Art Reveal (4:30 PM): After an afternoon of work, Hip Hop USA's artists will present their work and they'll award the prizes to the most original and awe-inspiring designs from fans.

I'm really excited about this event! I've always wanted a chance to customize my own sneakers and this opportunity is a good excuse! ~ Anyone else going feel free to hit me up via twitter! @tenoli I'd love to bump shoulders with you guys!

La Tenoli

EVENT: Satoshi Kon double feature @ The Film Society!

This week's Tenoli Tuesday post will unfortunately not include scans of the January issue of SOUP (hopefully Kinokuniya has a copy of it today!) but it's still a great info hook up!
I know the day before any Eve's Eve, you always mean to do something but fall short coming up with plans other than the same ole' drinking bit, so for all those anime/Satoshi Kon fans out there, listen up!

The Film Society is having a Perfect Blue/Paprika double feature tomorrow in honor of the great Satoshi Kon himself who passed away earlier this year. The tickets for the general public are $12 ($18 for both movies). To all the poor students out there, bring your ID you can snag tickets for $9 each ($12 for both) and those who are members (we hate you), you get to watch 'em both for $10!
With the crazy expensive city prices, this shouldn't come as a surprise to any NY-er so shell out that cash and bring a friend you didn't manage to get a present for - kill two birds with one stone : )

For more info, check out the official page on the site at http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/satoshikon.html
( via @nerdyorkcity )

Stay tuned for more Tenoli Tuesday posts!

La Tenoli

EVENT: JapanNYC Festival

Music lovers - hi, hello - this is for you!

(Look at what I found in yesterday's AM NY!)

JapanNYC Festival

Broaden your cultural and musical horizons and experience the "Winds and Strings of Change: Glories of the Japanese Traditional Music Heritage" in the first of this two-part concert series. 

Thursday(12/16), 6PM., FREE, 

Miller Theatre at Columbia University 2960 Broadway

carnegiehall.org 

And this is why I love NYC.

Uniqlo is also running ads over the course of the holiday season in AM NY, so if you haven't checked that out already, do so! ( btw, I'm impressed with not only Uniqlo's increased advertising, but also the positive results! Go go Uniqlo - lol )

Till the next hook up! 

La Tenoli

Happy Thanksgiving Pikachu, Hello Kitty, and Takashi Murakami!

The Annual Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade is part of my thanksgiving tradition - without fail I tune into it every year even if it ends up as background noise to all the frantic cooking.
(And speaking of the parade, I almost missed my train home due to the overexcited crowd attempting to catch a glimpse of the performers during their practice - oh NYers. )

This year I'm going to make a special effort to watch as much of the parade as possible, snuggled up in my PJs with a bowl of cookie crisp of course.  What I'm most looking forward to is the Takashi Murakami balloons that will make their debut this year along fellow Japanese character balloons Pikachu and Hello Kitty ( ^ o ^)/

I first heard of Takashi Murakami referred to by name when I watched the "Turning Japanese" video he directed and released earlier this year featuring the young and energetic Kirsten Dunst.
As both a Japanophile and a fan of the annual parade, I'm very excited to see the new balloons as well as the Takashi Murakami flower float!~

Hope you all enjoy your Turkey day! May the ITIS be upon you :3

Till next time!

La Tenoli

[Japan Society Event!] The J-Pop Influence: A Western Obsession

Next week Tuesday October 12th I'll be attending a lecture at the Japan Society - The Jpop Influence: A Western Obsession. There are two reasons I'm really excited to attend the lecture:

1. Two weeks ago I blogged about Japanese Inspired Brands and ever since then it's been heavily on the brain. Plus with THE CULTYARD at NYCC this weekend, it is the perfect follow up event.
2. SIMONE LEGNO IS GOING TO BE THERE!! Yes the man behind all the tokidoki genius! *Hyperventilation* Excitement! 

Here's a little description of the event:

The Japanese aesthetic, specifically pop culture and contemporary design, has influenced many Western designers in recent years. Simone Legno, creator, Tokidoki; and Matthew Waldman, Chief Creative Officer & President, Nooka, Inc. share their love of Japanese pop culture and discuss how modern Japan has influenced the design of their clothing, accessories, watches and toys.

So here's a recap of all necessary info!
WHERE: Japan Society 333 East 47th Street
WHEN: Tuesday October 12th at 6:30PM
PRICE:  Tickets are $12 for non-members and $8 for students, seniors, and members!
Click the event link above for more info or to purchase your tickets.

If there was ever a better time to splurge on a tokidoki tee, now would be it - I'd love to get an autograph <3 All tokidoki obsession aside, I'm excited to hear what Mr. Legno and Mr. Waldman have to say. I think this is indeed an interesting topic!

Hope I bump shoulders with you guys at NYCC this weekend or at the lecture!

Till next time Tenoli lovers!~

La Tenoli

¡ NY JapanTown's Soul Food Festival !

Skewered pork, meat covered rice balls, stir fried ramen - Japanese soul food.
Despite the cloudy and slightly humid New York City weather, NY Japantown's Soul Food Festival was a perfect way to say goodbye to summer food fairs and welcome the fall.

The two block long festival was the last of three festivals that NYJapanTown hosted this summer. This time around I made it a point to try out some of the foods - Tonton Pork and Rice meat balls were among them.  Despite the excruciatingly long line for the Tonton, it was absolutely amazing! So much so, that I searched among the restaurant listings in the Chopsticks magazine in hopes of finding an address where I could get more. If it's this amazing alone on a stick, I can only imagine what a bowl of rice and a few veggies might add to the experience.

For all those interested, here's the address to Hakata Tonton:

ADDRESS
61 Grove St NEW YORK, NY 10014
(bet. Bleecker St. & 7th Ave S) 

PHONE (212) 242-3699

Just to show you how my life finds ways of bringing things full circle, there's actually a Spanish song called "Bachata en Fukuoka" AND Fukuoka happens to be the region of Japan where the dish originates. Just a random tidbit I found amusing.

At the festival I also got a chance to meet up with Perezstart's @babylinda and @xbbx! Got a chance to chat with them and their friend @JerseyJesus for a few. So glad we got a chance to meet up. Sorry for the lack of photographic proof, but I'm sure we'll make a memory of your next encounter at NYCC. 

Oh and I feel the need to take a moment to mention how amazingly spontaneous NYC is. During the festival a guy came around giving away freshly made pizza - god it was delicious! I suppose you might be thinking, "Why would you take pizza from a stranger?" Did I mention it was FREE? Haha, no seriously, it was delicious ~ fresh-out-of-the-oven status.

 The stir fried ramen and squid/crab plates caught my eye but anything over $5 was a huge turn off for me. Festival should always = yummy cheap food, no? Oh and look at it what I managed to get for a dollar!

 Well, there was another one before the picture. It just happened to get eaten before I could snap it.

Before I wrap up the post I want to make mention of a few things

•  I want to apologize for not keeping you all up to date with the giveaway. Unfortunately my scheduled Bento Giveaway will have to be put on hold - as soon as it goes back into action, I'll let you all know! 
• As for last week's Tenoli Tuesday post - the personal life's been a bit hectic and a move is in the works; needless to say I've been running around like a headless chicken. I've already got a post planned for next week, so stay tuned! :)

Ja mata raishuu! じゃまた来週！

La Tenoli

The Asia Society presents Yoshitomo Nara's 「NOBODY'S FOOL」

 

Welcome to the world of wide-eyed little girls and stray dogs - Welcome to Yoshitomo Nara's exhibit at The Asia Society gallery, Nobody's Fool. Last Wednesday I had the chance to view this amazing exhibit before it's opening on Thursday September 9th. 

The experience begins before even setting foot inside the museum. The giant white statue (right) sits across the street from The Asia Society. "White Ghost", as it is titled, comes in a twin set, with its sister sitting just three blocks down on 67th and Park, across the street from where the Open Studio was held.

Nobody's Fool is divided into 4 different rooms spread out among 2 floors - the first exhibit to dominate all the gallery space at The Asia Society. I'd like to take the time now to give you a taste of Yoshitomo Nara's exhibit, highlighting what I felt were some of the more prominent features. 


Loneliness is the most prevalent theme in Mr. Nara's work.
The innocent subjects portrayed in his work are often painted alone against a plain colored background (a part of his style).  Their dream like gazes and straight lined mouths often make you wonder, "What are they thinking about?" Yoshitomo Nara drew inspiration for many of his pieces from his childhood, where unsurprisingly we find Mr. Nara often felt lonely.  Even in his later work he continues with this theme.

                       "Gone With The Cloud" 2004                       "The Little Star Dweller" 2006

"It's Better To Burn Out" 1996

It'd be difficult to ignore the great influence that music has played in Yoshitomo Nara's artistic and personal life. Many of his pieces are titled after songs or lyrics from his favorite bands or artists. He has even created album art for Japanese artists like Shonen Knife (below) and The Star Club.  The preferences in music are apparent throughout his artwork going from rebellious punk rock to a more pensive blues flavor.

Some of you may recognize this quote from Kurt Cobain's suicide letter, but it was taken from the song "My My Hey Hey" - Neil Young .  Although he uses this quote in this piece, Nara stated that he disagrees with it and feels that one should "live in the moment".

"Happy Hour" 1998

To my surprise one of the pieces was titled "M.J." According to the description, it was a portrait of the King of Pop before his death last summer. I still laugh to myself when I remember the old woman who passed by the painting and commented to her friend, "The little girl in the painting is so cute". Couldn't have said it better myself, ma'am. If you get a chance to see this piece I'm sure you too will be as amused and confused as I was.

The exhibit's installation/collaboration pieces like "Untitled" (formerly known as "Home"), "Doors" and the 2nd floor gallery titled "Drawing Room" created great interactive settings which allowed certain pieces to be viewed in a specific atmosphere, often giving Mr. Nara's artwork a deeper meaning. 

Sprinkled in are random sketches and handwritten poems of Mr. Nara's on graph paper and used envelopes.  I really enjoyed these personal touches of spontaneous creativity. Among his paintings, you'll find Mr. Nara's sculptures, ceramic pieces, and statues as well.

 Yoshitomo Nara's perspective of the world around him is creative and refreshing. Although I was left with an overwhelming sense of sadness in my sympathy for the star-gazing innocent in the paintings, the exhibit was altogether inspiring, and I'd recommend a visit before its end on January 2nd. Many upcoming events, including a Shonen Knife concert, coordinate with the exhibit and I would take advantage of these days to get the most out of your trip there. 

To learn more about ticket prices and museum hours visit the official page for NOBODY'S FOOL.

Check out my Flickr and Tumblr for more pictures of Nara's work. 

Stay tuned for a giveaway at the end of this month! Details and video coming soon! 

Ciao. 

La Tenoli

THIS WEEKEND: Yaz Band (Fri) & NYJapanTown Festival (Sun)!

If you find yourself looking for something to do this weekend in New York City, don't fret.  If you're a Jazz and food lover - here are two events you don't want to miss!

Lt. Mowgli & La Tenoli 2009

But before I begin, I want to say THANK YOU LT. MOWGLI for last week's guest post! I know I kinda threw him into the mix without warning - my apologies. He's a really close friend, a fellow japanophile, and a DC native. Check out his guest post from last week about the French clothing brand OTAKU!



Moving on ...

YAZ BAND - Japanese guy from Osaka + Saxophone = Beautiful  music <3
Yes indeed. Last week while I was rushing around Penn Station trying to get to work, I had to stop and check out who was playing. Lulled in by the amazing sax playing, I quickly grabbed a flyer and business card and was out the "door". Now, I'm a sucker for jazz and unfortunately I've never been to a live jazz performance, so I was excited to learn about this Friday's YAZ BAND performance.
Here are the deets:

Time:

Friday, August 20th, 2010 9:00 PM EDT
Location:

DAJEH RESTAURANT
919 Fulton St. (between Clinton Ave and Wavery Ave)
Brooklyn, NY (718) 857-1616 http://www.dajeh.com/

Subway:

Take C train to Washington-Clinton subway station.
Seats are limited. Reservations are strongly recommended.
PRICE: $25 includes dinner NOTE: YAZ BAND will be playing at Dajeh Restaurant
from 9:00pm to 9:45pm.
Yaz Takagi (sax)// Eric Smith (Keyboards)// Tetsuya Sato (bass)// Tomo Kanno (Drums)

So you've got the romantic jazz date with your honey-bunches-of-oats on Friday night and on Sunday you have the fun day time brunch at the 2nd NYJapanTown Festival of the summer! Theme? Healthy foods. Now, I know for most the words "healthy foods" and "festival" don't really go together, but leave it to the Japanese to find a way to make it happen!

Healthy Food & Green Festival

Time:

Sunday August 22nd 11AM-6PM (Rain or Shine!)

Location:
Madison Avenue between 43rd and 45th Streets (Map)
Subway:
4, 5, 6 to Grand Central - 42nd Street Station

So there you have it peeps, a whole weekend of Japanese inspired fun!
In the midst of setting up a giveaway so stay tuned!

ja ne ~ :3

La Tenoli

Japan Fashion Show @ FIT!

Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku - Tokyo.
Even before Gwen Stefani, these places were known for their eccentric fashion styles. To the American Otaku these places are Mecca.  Japan Day, NYJapanTown Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival - These are just a few of the places where you'll find people dressed head-to-toe in these unique Japanese style here in New York City. 

Japan Day @ Central Park 2010

This fall, FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) will be hosting a Japanese Fashion Exhibit at their museum called "Japan Fashion Now". The exhibit will open on September 17, 2010 and close January 8, 2011.  It's "the first exhibition to explore contemporary Japanese fashion in all its radical creativity, from designer fashion to street style, including menswear".[FIT] As a NY Times article stated about Japanese fashion, it's up there with Paris and Milan, but you wouldn't know it because it's never mentioned. This is the kind of attention it deserves, and hopefully it will open more doors for Japanese fashion designers and brands. Uniqlo's flagship store in New York has already made its mark and gained popularity among, not only native NY-ers, but also tourists who say they can't wait to get an Uniqlo in their city.

Ometesando St. (Harajuku) Dec. 2009

Best part is that the admission is free and open to the public! The museum hours are: Tuesday-Friday – noon-8 pm; Saturday –10 am-5 pm; Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays. For more information on the exhibit check out the official FIT event page "Japan Fashion Now".

Happy August! :)

La Tenoli

JAPAN CUTS: Nightmare Detective II（ 悪夢探偵２）

On Wednesday, July 14th I attended the US Premiere of Nightmare Detective II at the Japan Society's cinema festival - Japan Cuts. The festival began on July 1st and ended on July 16th. Unfortunately I was only able to make it to this one screening despite having wanted to see Confessions, Sweet Little Lies, and Golden Slumber.

Having never seen Nightmare Detective before it's sequel, I thought it only fair to watch it before writing my review-ish blog post.  Luckily for me, I was able to watch Nightmare Detective II without any background necessary because the sequel is more like a prequel, as I will explain.

Nightmare Detective II is the story of a man with the ability to read the mind's of others and enter their dreams on will; however, this "gift" has been more a curse to him than anything else. In the movie we watch as Kagenuma struggles to understand why he has fallen victim to nightmares while attempting to solve a case that reminds him of the traumatic experiences during his childhood with his mother.

For those who fell in love with the Nightmare Detective, (and who couldn't) it would be hard to turn down a chance to see Kagenuma on screen again. Nightmare Detective was everything one would expect from a good horror movie - gory and psychologically thrilling. It was suspenseful and mysterious, giving away just enough during each scene to make us crave for more. THIS is what I would have expected from Nightmare Detective II; however, it was not the case. Nightmare Detective II was, to say the least, extremely confusing.  There are definitely parts of the movie, that otherwise explained further, don't make any sense existing - random dead school children that parade at night? It was hard telling when the characters were experiencing a dream or reality, and while this probably adds a little bit of mystery to the movie, it is never really explained later. I looked forward to the ending for some clarity, but was left with more of a "... huh?" feeling and nothing seemed resolved.

So for those of you who have seen Nightmare Detective and are curious to learn more about Kyoichi Kagenuma's past, it wouldn't hurt to see the sequel. I wouldn't recommend watching it before the first one though, because it might turn you off from giving Nightmare Detective a try.

Aside from the movie, the theater at the Japan Society was a good size and offered pretty comfy seating. There was also a small introduction given before the movie which I found helpful in learning  about the director and the movie's background.

I look forward to more of the Japan Society's events and next year's JAPAN CUTS.

La Tenoli

NYJapanTown Festival: Cool Japan

"[It's that] I want to go to Japan!"

Me too Rob, me too. But since I can't, I did the next best thing - last Saturday 7/17 I attended the NYJapanTown Cool Japan Festival!

The two blocks long festival was packed mostly with Japanese food vendors and sprinkled in between with Japanese activity booths (yo-yo fishing, shodo [calligraphy], shinto prayer, etc.) and Japanese shop vendors.

If you're going to start a festival around lunch time, you've gotta be ready for the tummy rumbling crowd. Check out some of the food vendors at the festival!

 Go Go Curry

Tonton Pork

 

Teriyaki Pizza? - They should have stuck to calling it "okonomiyaki".

Mini Curry Pan!

And to keep cool? Shaved ice and Oolong Cha (tea)!~ 

I arrived a little later than I had planned (doesn't that always seem to be the case with me? lol), but I'm glad I did because I heard I missed the brutal heat of the early afternoon. Since the festival lasted all day, I was still able to enjoy it just as much as the early birds. 

 Japanese people are more commonly described as spiritual rather than religious. Whatever the case is, Japanese people believe in prayer. Visiting the town's local shrine to make food/money offerings, ask the spirits for a favor, or receive your fortune is not uncommon in Japan.  

During my time abroad I visited many shrines and had a chance to learn how to pray. Nonetheless, these instructions were a friendly reminder.  

 

 Praying at a shinto shrine.

I wanted to send a special "Thank you!" to my friend, Franklyn "Beatz", and loverboy, Atomsk, who did a lot of the picture taking! To check out more pictures from the NYJapanTown Festival check out our Flickr albums TENOLI'S  &  BEATZ'  

Stay tuned for the Japan Cuts: Nightmare Detective II review coming this Friday!

Hope you all enjoyed this Tenoli Tuesday post!
La Tenoli

Chocolate Bananas, Sake, & Fried Chicken!

Not in that order and not all at one time. You can, however, get them at the same place - at festivals (matsuri) in Japan.

Last fall during my stay in Japan I went on a field trip to Sakura city in Chiba prefecture (prefecture next to Tokyo) to pay a visit to the folklore and culture museum. Luckily we had a chance to witness Sakura's annual fall festival during our visit. 
Now there's the standard Japanese "junk" food that I more or less expected to see at the festival - okonomiyaki, fried noodles, and mochi - but what I didn't expect was the abundance of fried chicken and chocolate banana stands.
As a fan of most foreign dishes and treats, of course I had to try it!

Opinions: Getting the chocolate banana was fun, since it involved playing a game of rock, paper, scissors with the vendor (you win, you get two / you lose, you get one); however, the dessert itself was bland. (Although this tends to be a comment most foreigners are accused of making regarding Japanese sweets, as a fan of Japanese sugary treats I'm not sure that was the case with this dessert). 
On the other hand the fried chicken, although at first glance looks ridiculously greasy and unappealing, is extremely delicious. I even tried some with Japanese mayo (local-style!).
Besides the cheering competitions between the Sakura local towns' people, the food was definitely the next best thing.

Oh and as for the sake - let's just say Sakura citizens are extremely generous and hospitable. Free "samples" on the house - yummy!

With game booths, misc. vendors, and cotton candy in DBZ and HK themed bags, what isn't great about a Japanese festival?

NYJapantown peoples have been raving about the food vendors that will attend this year's festival on Saturday, and I for one am extremely excited to try out all the delicious food samples!

Hope to rub shoulders with a few of you at the festival this weekend!
La Tenoli