A slice of Japan

Cultural exchange

The crowd burst into claps, hoots and whistles as the air filled with popular Bollywood tunes. Dressed in bright coloured clothes with gold sequins, the Japanese of the City danced to songs from all the recent box office hits. It was the 11th annual ‘Japan Habba’ and it saw a large crowd gathering at the Jnana Jyothi Auditorium. There were performances, stalls, showcases and workshops throughout the day.

It was a chance for the two countries to exchange their cultural roots, histories and traditions. While the Indians performed Japanese dances, sang songs and enacted old Japanese folktales, the Japanese immersed themselves in Indian culture.

While there is nothing unusual about a group of actors making a commentary on marriage in Kannada, the skit, titled ‘Maduve Maduve’, was a favourite with the crowd because Japanese nationals Kazumasa Kuboki, Yumi Yoshitaka and Shizuka Tsusaka spoke almost flawless Kannada. The humourous drama explored the obstacles  of a couple before marriage. But the Bollywood dance numbers were the real crowd-pleasers. The teeny-boppers got all the attention. At first, they were jittery but after a few glitches, they stunned the audience with their cuteness.

The students of Bangalore University also added their contribution through a skit. They enacted a Japanese folktale about a fisherman called Urashima Taro, who helps a turtle and gets rewarded by getting to go to a beautiful castle called Ryugu. But, after a year he starts to miss his house and decides to go back. On returning, he realises that one year in the castle was a hundred back home. In despair, he opens a treasure box the princess of Ryugu gave him as a parting gift and turns into an aged man.

The Bangalore Anime Club ended the evening with their band called ‘Aho Dango’. Some of the other performances included a dance by Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts, an introduction to aikido, a ninjutsu demonstration, a dance by the Japanese supplementary school and a chorus by the Jinsei Dojo Toastmaster Club. There were also stalls and workshops being held – traditional Japanese tea-making, calligraphy trials to learn to draw kanji, dressing up in a yukata, learning origami and kirigami, an ikebana show and the ‘Gate of Japan’, which provided general information about Japan.  
Ashwini, who works for a Japanese company, was dressed in a pink and white yukata. “Unlike many languages, the Japanese script is not written in English. It is so different and at first it’s difficult to pick up. But then, it gets easier,” she said.

Hema, who lived in Japan for 10 years, said she has been attending the event for the past five years. “Our cultures are similar in many ways yet so different, that’s what got me interested,” she said.