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Brightly colored wigs, heavy layers of makeup, colorful kimonos and replica costumes all made this weekend’s Arizona Matsuri festival in downtown Phoenix a truly interactive and cultural experience.In Japanese, matsuri means festival and is derived from a verb that means to entertain or to worship.
Although the festival seemed dominated by teenagers, there was a plentiful variation of enthused attendees.
Those who creatively embellished the Japanese culture dressed up and joked around, but also remained honest to tradition.
The festivals provided a range of activities with booths extending throughout the Heritage and Science Park between the ASU Mercado and the Arizona Science Center. The events included karate, a 40-competitor costume contest, bonsai displays and sales of incense, tea and manga.
Crowds gathered and overflowed the seating area at the Monroe Street Stage to witness the colorful costume contest. The contest’s host introduced each participant to the center of the stage and allowed for the audience to admire his or her attire before voting.
The top contestants ranged from eccentric replicas of anime and comic book characters to a robot made entirely out of cardboard boxes.
Based on the noise elicited from the crowd, the winners were “Terra and Aqua” of the Japanese/American video game series “Kingdom Hearts.”
Two of the costume competitors, Ashley Sand, 16, and Kealy Cable, 15, dressed up like the popular manga characters Misa Amane of “Death Note” and her mother. When the two were on stage, they performed a small skit from a scene in the series. The festivalgoers went wild with the dramatic reenactment, showing their recognition of the reference. Much like these two girls, many contestants went above and beyond for the competition.
In a small corner of the festival, another show captivated the attention of a younger audience. World-renowned candy artist Shan Ichiyanagi, who calls himself “The Candy Man,” showed his incredible talent of the sweet craft in the outdoor complex. Ichiyanagi creates small structures that resemble glass-like figurines, but they are made entirely of hardened corn syrup and sugar.
According to Steven Henglefelt, 22, who volunteered at the Matsuri festival, the candy artist frequents his artwork at Hollywood parties but prefers to perform for children.
Besides the vibrant sights, the tasty smell of grilled barbecue meats lingered throughout the festival grounds. Several Hawaiian and traditional Japanese grill tents also sold grilled meats and rice dishes. The popular Sriracha hot chili sauce seemed to be added to any type of dish.
Hawaiian shaved ice sold at a quicker rate to cool down those who partook in the spicy barbecue.
Japanese rice and seaweed rolls were, and several food vendors crafted sushi, as well as offering sushi-making kits for sale.
One of the festival’s most noticeable features was the involvement and interactions in the crowds, and the gathering allowed for ample amount of learning and appreciation for the Japanese culture.
Reach the reporter at ejnicho1@asu.edu
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