Jun 01 2008
Japan Day 2008: MY kind of convention.
Even though I got sunburned and even though it was hot as all hell, I quite enjoyed this year’s Japan Day and it really made me think about the whole convention going experience in general. Now I know technically Japan Day isn’t a “convention” but I’m associating it together as it’s an event dedicated to some aspect of Japanese culture, similar to an anime convention. I’d even go as far as saying that this was a lot better than Sakura Matsuri and I’m definitely looking forward to coming back in 2009.
Last year JP & I were apartment hunting so when we got there most of the stuff had ended. They wouldn’t let anyone get in line for food and actually 30 minutes after we got there it began to rain. However this year we were prepared and we were at the site promptly at 10AM. It was a lot barren compared to when we came back after lunch.
While there was a lot to do, I didn’t wanna bake in line to do it. They actually had a lot of events such as having your lolis and shotas try on some yukatas, the water balloon grabbing (which I did at the natsu matsuri last year at Mitsuwa), Go and Shougi games, origami and even a tent with an android robot. Holy god I shit you not. I thought it was an actress pretending to be a robot but then I realized it’s actually a humanoid robot, its a freaking live chobits!! 
You know I really don’t get how Japanese could get off on these things (Real Dolls, Candy dolls etc.) When something looks THAT realistic, it’s more scary than arousing. Oh well to each their own I suppose. 
We met up with our Japanese friend and then my friend from Connecticut came by too. All of us had lunch at Naruto Ramen - and not because we wanted to fit in with the weeaboo theme. It was actually the closest place to where Japan Day was this year (99th st.) Man the ramen there was GOOD. Like so good that I can almost see why Naruto goes “UMAI DATTEBAYO” everytime he eats it. It’s also like the first real Japanese ramen I ate that didn’t make my intestines explode afterwards. So yea I definitely recommend that place.
We spent most of the rest of the time just chilling on the green grass and baking in the sun. JP managed to grab like 6 of the canned teas they were giving out for free there. Actually everything at Japan Day was free hence why there were so many lines. At the Mitsuwa festival you gotta pay for everything so the lines weren’t that long and if none existant in some places.
While we were sitting I was mainly waiting for Shimizu Shota to perform “Home.” Unfortunately when the time came and even though I got a good closeup place to stand, he didn’t perform it. Apparently the Japanese fans that were there wanted him to perform “home” as well but instead he performed his newest single which will be released this month.
Other highlights include a really annoying “Gaijin a Go Go” band. They were worse than weeaboos singing Hare Hare Yuukai. The only toilets there were the horrific porto potties. I had to lessen my water consumption and therefore dehydrate more in the sun because the idea of having to use it more than once made me wanna hurl myself against a tree. The weeaboos were well behaved. Ironically (or maybe thankfully) while we were at lunch and meeting up with my friend from CT, we completely missed the cosplay event. By the time we got back I saw weeaboos here & there, but not as many as at the Sakura Matsuri. The ones I did see were actually behaving properly. They weren’t running around like idiots, they weren’t destroying nature and actually even though it was HOT and APPROPRIATE I didn’t see that many of them wearing yukatas.
So speaking of yukatas I think I’m going to give in and buy one. After seeing this video, I am convinced that you don’t need to be Japanese to wear one properly. You just need to do some research, take some time and perhaps get someone to help you. I know they sell them at Uniqlo every year so I’ll probably buy one when they’re available. One reason I’ve decided on this is I sunburn like hell. I was wearing a tank top and I have my arms & shoulders perfectly baked. But if I wear anything that covers up my arms & legs it’ll be burning hot…so with that mindset I figured for these kinds of events a yukata might be a good idea. (Besides I’m sure JP wouldn’t let me leave the apartment if I looked too awful in it. 
)
I took a bunch of videos today and I combined them all into 1 large file. Most of the Shimizu Shota performance is at the end.
Tags: ittadakimasu!, otaku, weeabooing in new york
32 Responses to “Japan Day 2008: MY kind of convention.”
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Clarifying the yukata thing, while talking there with our Japanese friend, it’s not weird for Americans to be wearing them in principle. It’s just weird when they wear them incorrectly, either because it’s not hot out or because they didn’t put them on correctly.
“When something looks THAT realistic, it’s more scary than arousing”
Lies. Make it look like Aya Hirano and I could care less.
Was this at Central Park? Argh!! And you didn’t inform us about this ahead of time? (Actually, it’s my fault for not having visited your blog for awhile, but I’m mad now and when I do I’m unreasonable.)
Japan Day sounds like something I would have enjoyed probably more so than a anime con.
You know I bought a bottle of that Ito En tea once. And I hated it but I never tried the (not-bottled) green white or the darjeeling tea. Of course, bottled tea is never good. Best to make it yourself.
bakaneko> I think you missed something…?
scott> Actually the only GOOD ItoEn bottled tea are the peach & apple flavored ones. I didn’t like any of those canned ones and I hate the green or oolong one
So Yea you’re not the only one
Os> I’m sure you can find a Candy Doll that looks like her
Waaaaah!
Waaaaah!
Waaaaah!
Oh, and actually, I already have a Yukata, but I’ve never tried to wear it yet… ^^;
Well if you don’t ditch us again like you did this time maybe you can wear it to the Mitsuwa Matsuri this summer
Man, all those Shimizu fangirls to get in my way of a front-standing-room for Halcali! If I was all the way up there I’d have been humping the front rail and moving to the music. At least most of the people were shorter than me.
Did you pay attention to the displays to the side of the stage? I lol’d every time they show the guy in the Yankees shirt trying to fake it.
I don’t know if you stuck around after the show ended, but behind the stage there was some kind of Shimizu fanclub video shoot thing which I was…definitely in the background of some. Apparently there was this American rapper/r&b celebrity there too (producer?) and Shimizu had a little video segment with him.
And there’s nothing wrong with wearing a yukata when it’s appropriate.
This looked like tons of fun, except for the whole baking to a crisp and the weaboo infestation. I could go for a bowl of good authentic ramen right about now.
omo> What the hell man, were you that tall guy who’s head got in my video and blocked the view?
Also I was actually sitting on the grass the whole time except when it was Shimizu Shota’s time to perform then I came over. I’m not a fan of HalCali and the enka pop singers (happy fun smile) didn’t really impress me. (Rather than turn me off like Gaijin a STFU) Also, stop being a lonely wolf and meet up with us for once >_>; After the show we left and went to Kaiten Sushi because our Japanese friend has never gone to a Kaiten Sushi in the US before.
Yamcha> Weeaboos are always gonna be there, I’m just glad they were well behaved this time around.
Hinano: “were you that tall guy who’s head got in my video and blocked the view?”
Uh, maaaaaybe? Post your vids and I’ll tell you
I would’ve totally tried to meet up with you guys if I wasn’t on a tight schedule already, with my own group of people to walk around with. Next time!
UMAI DATTEBAYO!!
Now I hunger for some ramen.
You’re lucky everything was free, everything at the center had a price.
ahh another japanese something before my trip too newyork … please let there bee a few more june 19 - july 10
So Shota Shimizu performed only one song? That sucks major ballz though Aishiteru isn’t bad at all. But I’m surprised he has so many loyal Japanese fangirls, he looks awkward especially since he’s got such tiny eyes and huge ears. Then again, most people in Japan think Aoyama Thelma is cute
…..
Anyways sounds like you had a great time. And thanks for offering to upload the video…can’t wait to hear Aishiteru performed live
.
Damnit, you even get a Japan Day?!
Bah … nothing happens over here …
@blissmo
You can organise one by yourself in the future. With suicide bunnies of course.
The Working Android looks like it could mentally snap and kill somebody.
As a creative person I believe there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. That and making a working Android robot somewhat reminds me of Astro Boy and how robots in that series are treated like crap.
The Android rights campaign starts here, and it’s more reasonable than being a member of PETA…
Did somebody say ramen?
I totally second the yutaka…yukata notion (gah, i can never say/type it correctly), reminds me to get one myself
I’ve heard that as long as you aren’t fantastically large in the chest, a yukata should be okay. A couple of my friends had to do some sports bra cramming to wear one but they still looked nice.
Caitlin> Yea sports bras help a lot
blissmo> It helps that there’s a shitload of Japanese in NYC
kiseki> He performed like 4 actually but I didn’t know any of them ^^;
Mika> Yea she spoke in English
omo> You aren’t going to anime next are you?
That robot has been making rounds at various demos and museums. I think it’s a Sony robot, and last time I talked to it, it could speak 8 different languages. Just have to tell it which one to use. If you ever visit Sony Wonder Labs in Manhattan, they (may) have a similar setup there, except with a robot-looking thing instead of a FF:TSW creepy thing.
Hinano> I’ve never been to animenext. Unless they announce something really cool I’ll probably skip this year too -_- If Kia Asamiya wasn’t able to get me to go then I dunno what will, esp. now that the con has resigned itself to mediocrity and dealer’s room peddling.
Well I’m doing an eroge panel there
;_;
FYI, I was not in your video and I have no idea who random Asian was. I was much farther up in the crowd.
[...] think Hinano does the event justice, so just go read her blog entry. And while it would have been great to meet up with Hinano et. al. [...]
WELL DONE ON THE DARJEELING, AGENT.
BUT WHERE IS THE LAPSANG SOUCHONG?
Darjeeling is for JP, I hate it lol
I was there at Japan Day also… But I can’t see any of your pictures.. they all say I am a hotlinking loser??? I dunno how that happen.
How can that be a highlight…? Gaijin a Go Go. They really sucked. I was so peeved off at how bad they were that I didn’t even take pictures of them. I got some pictures on my blog of the event.
I am heading to Otakon.. can’t go to Anime Next this year as some of my friends are going.
animemiz> If you’re using google reader you’re gonna see that image. (its an anti-hotlinking script I setup cause I had idiotic fangirls slapping “copy image location” html on their stupid blogs)
Gaijin a Go GO was awful lol.
Ahhh thanks then.. well I’ll probably have to visit your blog outside of Google reader then.. not sure if I’ll get censored at my work.. since IT suddenly went nuts and censored the library. They censored anything that had game, Japan, related blogs.. hence my frantic reading on Google reader.
Ah I saw this going on, on my way home from school (since my stupid english teacher had to give me a lecture about my work not being consistent enough for me to go get into AP English, WHO THE HELL SAID I WANTED TO GO IN THE FIRST PLACE)
Really wish I had gone, but then again I’d be so alone! My friend Lefteri would have gone but then again Carol would be there and he wouldn’t let me meet her, james is a little wanna be white boy asian, and all my other friends hate anime!!
AHHH
Oh well atleast I still have AnimeNEXT ‘08
Will you be going?