| Conclusion |
Covering 4 days of Nisei Week was extremely gruelling work. It's fairly hot and most events are
outdoors in areas where shade is scarce. On top of that, I carry more equipment than most people. I've
covered a lot of things, but this was probably the most physically demanding thing I've ever done. I
easily spent 10-12 hours each day in Little Tokyo to accomplish this report. This was the biggest Nisei
Week report that I've ever done. However, I thought it was a great experience to be able to see so
much of this festival.
On the first Saturday, I saw wonderful musical performances at the Anime Festival by The Black Crystals
and Makenai and visited the tanabata festival, which was new for Nisei Week this year. The next day
was also full of excitement with performances by Arthur Nakane, the one-man band, and Cherry, with
their superb vocalist, Mali Matsuda. The first weekend concluded with the largest cosplay contest ever
at Nisei Week. It had more entries than cosplay contests held at a few Southern California conventions.
Of course, there was the splendor of The Grand Parade and the return of the illuminated nebuta floats.
A large float will be here next year from what I've heard.
The second weekend kicked off the JSN matusuri, with and entertaining yukata contest and a few songs
by Stephanie Yanez. I also witnessed a gyoza eating contest won by Joey Chestnut, the #1 ranked
competitive eater in the world. He ate 181 gyoza in 10 minutes, which is quite amazing. I stayed for the
Next Generation Remix concert in the evening, featuring former American Idol finalist Camile Velasco.
It's always refreshing to hear up and coming Asian American talent. The final day was highlighted by
the Taiko Gathering and the bon odori to close the festival. I usually don't take photos at the bon odori
because I'm too busy participating. It's a fun way to close the festival.
This year, I felt more connected to this festival since I was there for so long. I'm glad that I was able to
experience so many awesome things. I don't know if I'd so the same thing next year, but if the schedule
works out, maybe I will. It's one of my favorite cultural events and even though I've been coming for
many years, I didn't know how much of it I was missing until this year.
Nergene Arquelada
super-no1.com
outdoors in areas where shade is scarce. On top of that, I carry more equipment than most people. I've
covered a lot of things, but this was probably the most physically demanding thing I've ever done. I
easily spent 10-12 hours each day in Little Tokyo to accomplish this report. This was the biggest Nisei
Week report that I've ever done. However, I thought it was a great experience to be able to see so
much of this festival.
On the first Saturday, I saw wonderful musical performances at the Anime Festival by The Black Crystals
and Makenai and visited the tanabata festival, which was new for Nisei Week this year. The next day
was also full of excitement with performances by Arthur Nakane, the one-man band, and Cherry, with
their superb vocalist, Mali Matsuda. The first weekend concluded with the largest cosplay contest ever
at Nisei Week. It had more entries than cosplay contests held at a few Southern California conventions.
Of course, there was the splendor of The Grand Parade and the return of the illuminated nebuta floats.
A large float will be here next year from what I've heard.
The second weekend kicked off the JSN matusuri, with and entertaining yukata contest and a few songs
by Stephanie Yanez. I also witnessed a gyoza eating contest won by Joey Chestnut, the #1 ranked
competitive eater in the world. He ate 181 gyoza in 10 minutes, which is quite amazing. I stayed for the
Next Generation Remix concert in the evening, featuring former American Idol finalist Camile Velasco.
It's always refreshing to hear up and coming Asian American talent. The final day was highlighted by
the Taiko Gathering and the bon odori to close the festival. I usually don't take photos at the bon odori
because I'm too busy participating. It's a fun way to close the festival.
This year, I felt more connected to this festival since I was there for so long. I'm glad that I was able to
experience so many awesome things. I don't know if I'd so the same thing next year, but if the schedule
works out, maybe I will. It's one of my favorite cultural events and even though I've been coming for
many years, I didn't know how much of it I was missing until this year.
Nergene Arquelada
super-no1.com
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