THE Panasonic Sports Complex in Section 21, Shah Alam, turned into a Japanese festival ground filled with a folk dance and Japanese food last Saturday.
It was the 31st Bon Odori Festival, a period for Japanese to gather at home and honour their ancestors - and usher in the summer.
Bon Odori is a Japanese Folk Dance and Odori means dance while Bon is the abbreviated name of a Buddhist text, the Ullambana Sutra, which the Japanese pronounce as Urabon.
There were about 1,000 Japanese present with a surprising 20,000 Malaysians joining them.
The festival was organised by The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur with cooperation from the Selangor State Government, The Japan School of Kuala Lumpur and the Japanese Embassy. It also marked Malaysia and Japan’s diplomatic relationships for the past 50 years.
As people entered the complex, they were greeted by volunteers giving away Bon Odori fans to be used during the dance.
From 6pm onwards, drum and gong beats and the sound of flutes pulsated through the sweltering heat.
Locals actively participated in the dances and songs besides sampling Japanese delicacies expertly prepared by Japanese master chefs.
On stage, many Japanese were dressed in Yukata, a summer kimono, and Geta, Japanese wooden sandals and performed dances and music on the Yagura.
While the dance continued, people indulge themselves in popular Japanese food such as sushi, Kakigori (Japanese Ice Kacang), Yakitori, Watagashi, Yakisoba and Japanese Sake prepared by popular Japanese food outlets here in Malaysia like AEON, Isetan and Sushi King.
Besides this, Malaysians also had a cultural dance during intervals. The Bon Odori dance stretched until about 10pm before the crowd began to leave.
Festival organising chairman Michi Tsunoda said the Bon Odori festival here in Malaysia is massive.
“In Japan, the Bon Odori has about 1,000 people because it is done in villages and small towns. Here, it reaches more than 20,000 and people from all races join in.”
“It is simply magnificent to see such a huge crowd gathering here, dancing and feasting on Japanese food,” said Tsunoda, who is Mitsui & Co Ltd Kuala Lumpur branch general manager.
Festival organising chairman Michi Tsunoda said the Bon Odori festival here in Malaysia is massive.
“In Japan, the Bon Odori has about 1,000 people because it is done in villages and small towns. Here, it reaches more than 20,000 and people from all races join in.”
“It is simply magnificent to see such a huge crowd gathering here, dancing and feasting on Japanese food,” said Tsunoda, who is Mitsui & Co Ltd Kuala Lumpur branch general manager.
Bon Odori (盆踊り, meaning simply Bon dance) is an event held during Obon. It is celebrated as a reminder of the gratefulness one should feel toward one's ancestors.
Originally a Nenbutsu folk dance to express the effusive welcome for the spirits of the dead, the style of celebration varies in many aspects from region to region. Each region has a respective local Bon dance, as well as respective music accompanying the dance. The music accompanying the dance can be songs specifically pertinent to the spiritual message of Obon, or local min'yo folk songs. Consequently, the Bon dance will look and sound different from region to region. Hokkaido, or northern Japan, is known for a folk-song known as "Soran Bushi." The song "Tokyo Ondo" needs no explanation. Residents of the Kansai area will recognize the famous "Kawachi Ondo." Tokushima in Shikoku is very famous for its "Awa Odori," or "fool's dance," and in the far south, one can hear the "Ohara Bushi" of Kagoshima, Kyushu.
The way in which the dance is performed is also different in each region, though the typical Bon dance involves people lining up around a high wooden building made especially for the festival called a 'yagura'. The yagura is usually also the bandstand for the musicians and singers of the Obon music. Some dances proceed clockwise, and some dances proceed counter-clockwise around the yagura. Some dances reverse during the dance, though most do not. At times, people face the yagura and move towards and away from it. Still some dances, such as the Kagoshima Ohara dance, and the Tokushima Awa Odori, simply proceed in a straight line through the streets of the town.
The dance of a region can depict the area's history and specialization. For example, the movements of the dance of the Tanko Bushi (the "coal mining song") of old Miike Mine in Kyuusu show the movements of miners, i.e. digging, cart pushing, lantern hanging, etc. Because everyone dancing performs the same feet and hand movements in unison, it really is an interesting and beautiful dance to behold.
There are other ways in which a regional Bon dance can vary. Some dances involve the use of different kinds of fans, others involve the use of small towels called tenugui which may have colorful designs. Some require the users to use small wooden clappers they use during the dance. The "Hanagasa Odori" of Yamagata is particularly interesting, for its dancers use a flower-decorated hat or "hanagasa" for the dance.
The music that is played during the Bon dance is not limited to Obon music and min'yo; some modern enka hits and kids' tunes written to the beat of the "ondo" are also used to dance to during Obon season. Particularly famous is "Pokemon Ondo", which was used as one of the ending theme songs for the Pocket Monsters anime series in Japan.
The Bon dance tradition is said to have started in the later years of the Muromachi period as a public entertainment. In the course of time, the original religious meaning has faded, and the dance has become associated with summer.
To celebrate O-Bon in Okinawa, the eisa drum dance is performed instead.
Originally a Nenbutsu folk dance to express the effusive welcome for the spirits of the dead, the style of celebration varies in many aspects from region to region. Each region has a respective local Bon dance, as well as respective music accompanying the dance. The music accompanying the dance can be songs specifically pertinent to the spiritual message of Obon, or local min'yo folk songs. Consequently, the Bon dance will look and sound different from region to region. Hokkaido, or northern Japan, is known for a folk-song known as "Soran Bushi." The song "Tokyo Ondo" needs no explanation. Residents of the Kansai area will recognize the famous "Kawachi Ondo." Tokushima in Shikoku is very famous for its "Awa Odori," or "fool's dance," and in the far south, one can hear the "Ohara Bushi" of Kagoshima, Kyushu.
The way in which the dance is performed is also different in each region, though the typical Bon dance involves people lining up around a high wooden building made especially for the festival called a 'yagura'. The yagura is usually also the bandstand for the musicians and singers of the Obon music. Some dances proceed clockwise, and some dances proceed counter-clockwise around the yagura. Some dances reverse during the dance, though most do not. At times, people face the yagura and move towards and away from it. Still some dances, such as the Kagoshima Ohara dance, and the Tokushima Awa Odori, simply proceed in a straight line through the streets of the town.
The dance of a region can depict the area's history and specialization. For example, the movements of the dance of the Tanko Bushi (the "coal mining song") of old Miike Mine in Kyuusu show the movements of miners, i.e. digging, cart pushing, lantern hanging, etc. Because everyone dancing performs the same feet and hand movements in unison, it really is an interesting and beautiful dance to behold.
There are other ways in which a regional Bon dance can vary. Some dances involve the use of different kinds of fans, others involve the use of small towels called tenugui which may have colorful designs. Some require the users to use small wooden clappers they use during the dance. The "Hanagasa Odori" of Yamagata is particularly interesting, for its dancers use a flower-decorated hat or "hanagasa" for the dance.
The music that is played during the Bon dance is not limited to Obon music and min'yo; some modern enka hits and kids' tunes written to the beat of the "ondo" are also used to dance to during Obon season. Particularly famous is "Pokemon Ondo", which was used as one of the ending theme songs for the Pocket Monsters anime series in Japan.
The Bon dance tradition is said to have started in the later years of the Muromachi period as a public entertainment. In the course of time, the original religious meaning has faded, and the dance has become associated with summer.
To celebrate O-Bon in Okinawa, the eisa drum dance is performed instead.
A Bon Odori Festival is also celebrated every year at Penang and at the Matsushita Corp Stadium, Shah Alam. This celebration, which is a major attraction for the state of Selangor, is the brain child of the Japanese Expatriate & Immigrant's Society in Malaysia. In comparison to the celebrations in Japan, the festival is celebrated on a much smaller scale in Penang and Selangor (Malaysia). Here, it is less associated with Buddhism and more with Japanese culture. Held mainly to expose locals to a part of Japanese culture, the festival provides the experience of a variety of Japanese food & drinks, art and dance.
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