What’s the next best thing to travelling to Japan and experiencing its vibrant culture? Experiencing it in Dubai without that hefty airfare, we’d say. The annual Japan Festival is back for a third year running with a programme stacked full of arts and culture, music, martial arts performances you can attend for free.
Inspired by Japan’s Omasuri harvest festivals, the Japan Festival is put together by the Japanese Association of Dubai to promote Japanese traditions and businesses in the UAE. This year, the one-day outdoor event happening at the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort on December 8, from 1pm-9:30pm.
Japan Festival – martial arts, folk dances and music
Witness displays of martial arts like kendo by expert swordsmen brandishing bamboo swords and aikido by practitioners from a UAE-based dojo. You’ll also see energetic performances of Japanese shanty songs called nanchu soran, as well as elaborate fan or uchiwa dance by women in traditional kimonos.
Other folk art forms you can experience at the fest are communal dances like the bon odori and the infectious beats of a taiko drumming band. Dubai-based Japanese cosplayer Yuka Ohashi will also be entertaining visitors by singing popular anime songs. If those acts inspire you to live out loud, sign up for the family karaoke competition.
Food, workshops and shopping
A throng of food stalls by well-known Japanese restaurants in Dubai such as Kimura-Ya, Yamanote, and Bento-Ya will feed you with ramen, skewer-grilled wagyu, katsu curry rice, matcha tea, mochi and more.
Additionally, foodies should make it a point to check out the tuna-cutting show. It’s a display of culinary mastery where skilled chefs slice, dice and fillet an entire 200kg bluefin tuna from nose to tail with precise, quick cuts with a katana sword.
Fun fairground games and workshops at the festival have an AED 50 charge. It’ll get you access to calligraphy and origami workshops, tea ceremonies, and sake tasting experience. On the games side of things, try your hand at Pokemon trading games, goldfish scooping, building and race figures by Otaku ME and more.
Indulge in a spot shopping while you’re there. Booths selling green tea, kimonos and Japanese snacks abound. This one’s a day out you won’t want to say sayonara to at the end.