Yamato International Festival
A couple weekends later I was looking for something interesting to do when I heard about the Yamato InternationalFestival. In Japanese, the annual event is called Yamato Sekai Ryōri no Yatai-Mura (やまと世界料理の屋台村, lit. “Yamato World Cuisine Food Village”). It’s held in the city of Yamato (大和市) in Kanagawa Prefecture next to Tokyo, which I’ve read is known for it’s cultural diversity.
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| It looks busier in the photo than it actually was |
The event was set up right next to the train station so it was very easy to find. It was smaller than I expected, and upon walking around a bit I felt like it was a quite charming actually.
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| A walkway near the festival area has many cute decorations |
The focus of the event was the international cuisine offered by small food stalls (yatai) representing various countries including India, Peru, South Korea, Thailand, and more. There was also a small “stage area” where musical and dance performances went on throughout the day, including acts such as American Andean panpipes, Spanish flaminco, Okinawan performances, and others.
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| Jazz performance by a Japanese group |
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| I forget what performance this was, but it was cool |
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| Hawaiian dance is quite popular in Japan, children also join oftentimes |
Hikichigawa Park
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| I spent a very nice afternoon at the park |
After I had ate some Peruvian food, watched some performances, and snapped some photos, I decided to explore the town a little. I noticed on my map that there was some large green area not far from the station. The weather was nice and the sun was shinning, so I headed over by foot. What I found was an expansive park, which I believe is called Hikichigawa Park andForest of Friendship (引地川公園ふれあいの森, Hikichigawa Kōen Fureainomori). At first it seemed like a pretty typical park but as I explored further I discovered some very nice areas of the park developed with large sections of pretty flowers. I think I better make a trip back here in the spring though; I’ve read that thousands of pink flowers called phlox subulata bloom there.
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| I had fun exploring |
