Last Sunday I attended the 29th Mitaka International Festival in Inokashira Park. This festival celebrates different cultures from around the world. There were Japanese students dancing to music from Afghanistan, a Beetles tribute band, African jewelry stalls and food stalls from around the globe. The food was delicious and I was able to meet up with the members of the Irish Network Japan where they had set up an Irish booth selling Guinness and Irish postcards and other small memorabilia. It was lovely to see everyone there and the members are mostly made up of Japanese people so it is a good way for me to brush up on my Japanese. They are all so fond and interested in Irish culture and it really is a pleasure to spend time with them all.
The festival attracted a large crowd and it was a lovely event with the sun shining all day long.
I had my picture taken with some very impressive cosplayers and listened to some bands playing. There were three music stages at the event and it was really interesting to see Japanese musicians play traditional Irish songs on one of the stages. The band members were playing the accordion, the tin whistle and the mandolin. It goes to show that we don’t have to be interested in our own culture alone but we can learn to love and envelope ourselves in any interests and cultures we wish to choose.