Last year I traveled many hours to get to Tokyo so that I could see the annual Asakusa Carnival Contest (浅草サンバカーニバレコンテスト) for the first time. I hadn't really prepared well for it, so I also had to watch while standing in a crowd of old Japanese men constantly snapping photos. This year, all I had to do was take a quick train ride and once there I was able to enjoy it with friends.
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| Enjoying the event with some Tokyo friends |
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| Samba Carnival dancers (called passistas) dance down the street |
For anyone unfamiliar with Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, or Carnival events in general, it may be a bit eye-opening to see some of the skimpy costumes the samba dancers wear. Perhaps this aspect of the event may even offend some conservative folks. If it does, I apologize but personally, I just view it as a reflection of Brazilian culture and tradition. It doesn't bother me at all. Anyway, I have no intention of discussing this point; instead I thought I would just mention it considering the nature of these photos.
Asakusa is a old cultural district of Tokyo located just northeast of the city center. It's very well-known for Sensoji Temple and various festivals throughout the year. Apparently there is also a significant Brazilian presence in the area which may explain why the Samba Carnival festival is held in this location.
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| A young woman dressed in a costumes inspired by Japanese pop-culture |
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| I don't know what's going on here, but this picture amuses me |
I went into a lot of detail in my post from last year regarding how the contest works but here's an overview: various samba groups participate in a large parade and compete by presenting the most creative and interesting themes through their elaborate costumes and floats, energetic music, and of course, samba dancing.
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| The dance teams are impressive to watch |
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| Carnival is all about lively expressions, attitudes, gestures, and movements |
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| Many children also participate in the event |
Teams are judged on the following aspects: (1) representation of theme, (2) dynamism (3) costume design, (4) performance, (5) dancing, and (6) overall evaluation. In this year's parade, the team "G.R.E.S. Uniao Dos Amadores" won first place again as they did the previous year.
The event is held on the last Saturday of August during most of the day, and takes place on Umamichi Street (starting near Nitenmon Gate of Sensoji Temple) and turning onto Kaminarimon Street where it eventually ends. For more information about the event including updates on upcoming dates, here is the official website: www.asakusa-samba.org (Japanese).
