Japanese Archives - Nightborn Travel

I have been to Little Tokyo in Las Angeles twice now, and my experience both times has

been totally different, despite the fact that the place stayed the same. The reason for this is simple. The first time that I visited Little Tokyo, I had never been to Japan, and

honestly, knew very little about Japanese culture. In going the first time, I had a good experience, but I couldn’t appreciate how much this little spot really is like a tiny slice of the country for which it is named. Being there after having traveled to Japan in the spring, I actually felt something akin to homesickness. Little Tokyo made me miss Japan, and reminded me about a lot of the little things that I enjoyed while visiting the country. It should also be noted that during my second trip, we also stayed out in Torrance, rather than Anaheim, which doubtless added to the feeling of familiarity. This part of Los Angeles is home to a large population of Americans with Japanese ancestry as well as immigrants, and they have imparted some lovely things on this part of the city. Besides all sorts of delicious restaurants, Torrance is home to Mitsuwa Marketplace, a market that is truly reminiscent of the massive stores that Japanese cities have. Not only were there groceries to be found here, but there was an entire food court, as well as candy stores, cosmetic stations, and spaces for cultural classes and events.

In Little Tokyo itself, my favorite thing to do is dine. Not only are there amazing sushi restaurants here (probably one of my all-time favorite foods), but there are also a variety places with Japanese noodles. As far as I have seen, you really can’t go too wrong eating out in Little Tokyo if you enjoy Japanese fare. There is also a pretty comprehensive Japanese bakery here, where I always love to stop for dessert. Stores on the main drag of Little Tokyo are nice souvenir stops, and they have some of the most adorable little things. If there was one thing I learned about Japanese knick-knacks, it’s that they are the cutest. America has nothing on the cuteness that Japanese artists and designers can attain, and for anyone who loves adorable things, Little Tokyo will not disappoint. There are also stores in an underground, mall section of the area that sell model kits (great selection for an American store, very modest when compared to what you can find in Japan), complete with the blinding white lights that Japanese stores love to use to showcase their hundreds of model kits for sale.

Little Tokyo also comes complete with traditional temples. I actually don’t know if these are open to the public, but their presence certainly lends a certain authenticity to the area. Finally, Little Tokyo is home to the Japanese American National Museum, which has a library for Japanese ancestry research, traditional and modern Japanese art and photography, as well as an extensive exhibit covering Japanese American internment camps. I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy the museum as much as I did, but it has some of the immersive elements that I enjoy in museums, and I learned a lot of history that I didn’t know previously while there. It is definitely a nice addition to any trip to the area.

So, once again, I am going against my last entry’s claim about what I would be writing about next. I did want to write about my time in Washington DC, but the past couple weeks have been a little crazy between some health issues and trying to plan for my potential field season this summer. Due to all of this, I decided that I would highlight Matsuri in a short entry (featuring the photography of one of my very talented friends) rather than skip a post.

Matsuri is, in my opinion, one of the best cultural festivals of Phoenix, and this year was its 31st anniversary, so it also has a lot of history and love behind it. For the past four years, since I have been going, the festival has always been held downtown, outside of Phoenix’s Science Museum. The grounds where it is held are filled with small, tarped stalls where Japanese food and gifts can be procured. There are also several large stages for demonstrations and performances. Getting into the event is free, which is wonderful, but anyone who visits should be sure to come with cash in case they find anything that they want to buy from one of the vendors.

My personal favorite performance of the festival is that of the Taiko drummers. I could sit and listen to that music for quite a long time all by itself, but the musicians are wonderful on the stage. They use a variety of different kinds of drums, as well as some other instruments such as a conch shell and small symbols. They rearrange their drums with every song; these formations play a role in the songs, but they also allow the drummers to act out a variety of entertaining interactions. In one of my favorite songs, several players drum on a line of smaller drums, while the other half of the group plays a line of larger drums behind them. During the song, the small and large drums seem to compete with eachother, rising and falling in turn, and the players themselves glance back and forth between each other, pretending to drum harder and louder than the other. The energy of the musicians makes the entire performance playful and very entertaining.

Some of the other demonstrations that I try to visit every time are the Japanese dancers and the martial arts demonstrations. The Japanese dance stage hosts performers of a wide variety of ages. The cutest, of course, are the young children, but the most skilled are the older women. This form of dance is quite different from the many forms of Western dance. The women are often very solemn, and their movements are skillfully controlled as they all but float across the stage- graceful despite the confining nature of their kimonos. Besides the dancing itself, the Japanese dance stage is a great place to see some beautiful, traditional Japanese dress and makeup. The martial arts demonstrations, alternatively, feature a variety of different forms- including karate as well as several forms samurai swordsmanship. Each form is distinct, and watching the students highlights the intriguing variety of traditional martial arts.

Finally, while I do not participate, there are also many people who cosplay at Matsuri. I am not entirely fond of this pattern, because I find it somewhat distracting, but this is certainly a draw for many people. Costumes of varied quality can be seen throughout the festival, and there have also been festival competitions for the cosplayers in recent years.

And if you have any questions about my experience at Matsuri or my travels feel free to leave me a comment. 🙂

My next update will be on March 15th, and I think I will be writing about my budget travels in Washington DC. We’ll see. Hahaha.

Tag: Japanese

Little Tokyo Feels Like a Little Slice of Japan

Matsuri: The Arizona Festival of Japan

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