Japanese Festival Draws Large Crowds on Mother’s Day
Weekly LALALA, a Japanese entertainment weekly magazine, celebrates their 20th anniversary with a festival highlighting Japanese food, performances and vendors.
The line to get in the festival grounds formed along the entire length of the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, made up of community residents of all ages. The festival, or “matsuri” as it is called in Japanese, is a tradition that dates back thousands of years.
The Japanese word for festival is “matsuri,” which also means “enshrine” or “worship.” It comes from Shinto, the indigenous Japanese religious belief that goes back to the oldest periods in Japanese history. The Shinto belief is that deities exist everywhere in nature. “Matsuri” developed as a way to pray for beneficial tidings from the deities. There are festivals celebrating children, the flowers of springtime, and to honor the ancestors who have passed away.
This particular Matsuri celebrates Japanese culture, especially food culture, in Southern California. There were performances from taiko drummers, local dance classes, musical bands and pop groups, and traditional odori dancing. The highlight was the food, particularly the “Ramen Yokocho,” or Ramen Alley — a separate part of the festival with booths from twelve different ramen restaurants. Festival goers also enjoyed other types of traditional Japanese food, including okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakitori, shave ice, yakisoba, musubi and more.
