Bon Odori 2007!

14th of July 2007 was the day the 31st Bon Odori 2007 was held. Bon Odori is actually an event celebrated by the Japanese in which they believe it is the day that souls come back. A couple of friends and I decided at (quite) the last minute, to go check it out~

The Journey There:

The venue in which the event was to be held was the Panasonic Stadium in Shah Alam. Armed with two incomplete maps, our group (consisting of Kong, May Yeng, me and my brother), got ourselves lost, drove all the way to Kajang and after two hours, stumbled our way to Shah Alam, reaching just in the nick of time before the performances began.

I must say when we first came to the stadium area, I was utterly shocked at the number of people! People were literally crowding the streets, all streaming into the stadium. There were a number of people at hand, including traffic police, to direct everyone as to where to go and what to do. We ended up parking in some unknown parking lot that the police directed us too cos everywhere else was full~

In the Stadium:

We arrived just in time for the performances despite getting lost~ So after getting our free uchiwas, we watched the dance which was being performed on the stage in the middle of the stadium.

The first performance. At this time, it was still bright, and it wasn't so crowded yet. Yes, it became EVEN MORE crowded later despite already being CROWDED when I first arrived.

Some of the event's people dressed up in Japanese costumes~

Look at all the PEOPLE! The whole stadium was so crowded, you'll lose your friend if you go more than 10 metres away from each other. Seriously.

Halfway through the night, I bumped into Sam and her brother! It was so good to see you again after 2 whole months Sam! Really missed ya~ >.<

The Food:

RM6 okonomiyaki! Which really tastes like Takoyaki, to me anyway~

Kong aka my driver (no offence meant Kong~ ^^;;) and onigiri.

Kakigoori! Some sort of sweet, blended ice~?

Pics with friends:

Bumped into many people - Sam, Kelvin, Melvin and Ifana!

Night Performances:

Everyone watches and follows the dance!

Since it was the last performance of the night, we joined in too. ^_^

The Finale - Drum Performance:

Young Japanese boys in cosutmes, playing the drums~ How cool is that? XD

A picture of me, my brother and 2 of the drummers I managed to catch~ Most of them ran away after the performance~ I wonder why. XD I am still abit embarassed about the BROKEN Japanese I used to speak to them, although I don't think they heard me cos the moment I approached them, they went something like "Nandayo, MATTA? Uso, maji de?" (trans: What, AGAIN? No way, really?) I suppose, there's no need to wonder now why the rest ran away. Lol~ But they were really nice about it anyway so... :-) Rissa is a happy girl~

The Haul:

The Uchiwas which were given out when we first entered~

Some souvenirs. I love my orange ball! Its rubbery, stretchable, cute and emits colourful lights when you squish it!

Um, Lotte Ichigo Daifuku. (Guess who advertises for Lotte in Japan? XD) I bought this early in the night but didn't eat it~ So obviously when we came home, it wasn't very uh, solid anymore. (See? Rissa, rissa. Who ask you be so greedy buy so much?)

Upon opening the daifuku. A bit out of shape but still edible~ Very sweet!

Another ice-cream. This one chosen by my brother.

Even more severely misshapen than the daifuku. XD But the coffee taste was EXCELLENT.

Beryl's chocolate. They had a promotion. These 3 boxes for RM10~ Who could resist?

The event ended at about 9.30 so we ended up reaching home at 11. All in all, the night was a fun one~ There were lots of things that I got to see and even more food that I didn't get the chance to try out! (I didn't get to buy Beard Papa which was also on offer that night and also the many ice-creams that got sold out before I even got to see them! XO)

Next year, if I have the chance, I'll be sure to go again~!

Signing off,

Rissa

Today's Feature: Um, for once I don't know what to put here. So I'll just end this with a pic of me and my bro posing~ Yes, behold our vanity~