*still in the mist of compiling and gathering photos of Bali…so this post is not about the trip yet* 
Last weekend, the Bon Odori celebration was held in Penang (a week after the one in KL). Since I’ve been to the one in KL but never to the one on the island, I wanted to take a stroll to see what’s interesting and whether it is as good as those organized in KL.
coupon used for buying food from the stalls
Bon Odori (盆踊り, meaning simply Bon dance) is an event held during Obon. It is celebrated as a reminder of the gratefulness one should feel toward one’s ancestors.
In Malaysia, Bon Odori Festivals are also celebrated every year in Penang and at the Matsushita Corp Stadium in Shah Alam, Selangor. This celebration, which is a major attraction for the state of Selangor, is the brain child of the Japanese Expatriate & Immigrant’s Society in Malaysia. In comparison to the celebrations in Japan, the festival is celebrated on a much smaller scale in Penang and Selangor, and is less associated with Buddhism and more with Japanese culture. Held mainly to expose locals to a part of Japanese culture, the festival provides the experience of a variety of Japanese food & drinks, art and dance.
wikipedia
Bon Odori is a Japanese Buddhist Folk Dance performed outdoors and danced in concentric circle around a raised platform called a Yagura. Odori means dance and Bon is the abbreviated name of a Buddhist text, the Ullambana Sutra, whose Japanese pronunciation is Urabon, shortened to Bon.
Though a memorial observance, there is a festive mood during Obon. Obon is a time to remember and honor all those who have passed on before us. It is a time to appreciate all that they have done for us and to recognize the continuation of the influence of their deeds upon our lives. Obon is also a time of self-reflection; the joy one feels is not from the happiness of getting what you desire, but the joy of being shown the truth — the joy of awareness. "Obon reminds us to love and care for our parents. It also encourages the practice of selfless giving (dana) not only to family and friends, but to all beings."
read more here
It was held at Esplanade (Padang Kota Lama). It was getting quite jam when we reached at almost 8pm. Cars park everywhere especially illegal places, such as the side of the clock tower. Imagine the traffic congestion!!!
Yea yea…the reason I went there was mostly for the food. So there’s very little photos on the dances and performances shown on the stage.And too bad I never had a tripod (and I would be too lazy to bring around anyway), most zoomed in shots on the performance came out quite blur.
Japanese dolls on display.
The food stalls are located on the road beside the field…in front of this building
A little disappointing is that the food were mostly local food instead of Japanese. We only purchased (with coupons) those Japanese types to try. There’s no point buying a plate of char koey teow there at RM5-6 right??
There’s the usual fried finger food….
Teriyaki chicken….
I was more focused on taking a picture of this Japanese lady more than the teriyaki chicken. She looks so cool with her bandana (for her age) while facing the hot grill, bbq-ing away the chicken.
Nippon Yataimura Restaurant set up a stall there too, selling ramen and soba.
Japanese curry rice
Japanese cakes….more like our local kuih with red bean filling.
Of course there’s alot sushi on sale
And Sushi King had a stall too…with the sushi belt as well
This little girl (on the right) was so oblivious to the surrounding of the big crowd and was just enjoying her sushi, clad in a beautiful japanese costume with make-up on her face. How cute!!
Left: something like potato balls, Right: katsu chicken? with onion sauce and mayo topping
(ooppss…accidentally putting double watermark in this photo)
Another kind of japanese fried cake.
and one unique drink on sale…Smooze! pink guava + coconut smoothie
And these gyoza….no it was not on sale there but my mom made it just before I went out to Bon Odori. Hehe…
Funny thing is I didn’t really see any gyoza on sale there. Or did I miss out any stalls??
That’s all about Bon Odori. We went on to catch a midnight movie after that….and hang out in Winter Warmers while waiting for the movie to start. More about that in later post….
Cheers
