I have heard great things about Saturday, the first day of the Cherry Blossom Festival - but of course I end up going on Sunday; when it is less crowded but also lacking the amazing cosplayers to be seen on the first day. Also missing from my Sakura Matsuri adventure? CHERRY BLOSSOMS. Apparently, they bloomed on March 23rd because of the strange weather Mother Nature has been gifting us and dropped just a week or so ago. The trees were rather green compared to the lush pink blankets of flowers I saw last year.
Other than the missing flowers, there were lots of things to be seen - such as the Cosplay Fashion Show (which I missed the deadline for and so I opted out of seeing the show out of envy), Uncle Yo’s comedy routine at the J Lounge and other things that can and will be found at New York Comic Con later this year. There was a samurai sword act under the Cherry Esplanade tent, traditional taiko drumming, folk dance, and the list goes on… and on. Really!
They were even selling Cherry Blossom trees in a bag - but where would I have put the thing if I bought it? My favourite vendor is the vintage Kimono stand which I still have not made a purchase from. Probably because I can’t bring myself to spend 55 dollars on a Kimono I could probably make myself.
What makes Sakura Matsuri unique is that it is one of the few large scale events in the city that has not been taken entirely over by ‘pop culture’ the way New York AnimeFest was eaten alive by New York Comic Con. Each event is directly tied to Japanese culture - the dances, the music, and other things New Yorkers may not be especially exposed to. One could watch traditional Japanese flower arrangements, Sohenryu-Style Tea Ceremonies, Woodblock printing, etc. I even watched my companions engaged in a long game of Go which I do not have pictures of… to spare the loser some dignity.
I took pictures of the flowers, and of myself cosplaying as Enma Ai. If you don’t know her, she is Jigoku Shōjo or as us English speakers better know her as, Hell Girl. It’s an intense anime that you all should check out.
