Japan Festival, part 1

   Today was the annual Japan Festival of Greater Kansas City, and to me it was the best one yet! The weather was cool & gorgeous, with an unbelievably blue sky & fluffy clouds. A koi banner marked the day:

   We were then greeted by a large torii (gate) in the lobby of the Carlsen Center. This made me long to go back to Miyajima. But to make it more authentic, they really should have flooded the lobby. And had deer milling around begging for food. Also, monkeys.

   The usual cosplayers & mischief-makers were in attendance. A few girls wore animal ears & tails (bear, fox, wolf); including one who I would have SWORN was Cat from work, in a tight leopard dress with tail & ears to complete the look. Something about Japanese culture draws some strange & socially-awkward kids (myself excluded, of course). In my first year Japanese class, a girl showed up wearing a fox tail more than once. Here's a giddy "schoolgirl":

   And an extensive bonsai exhibit. KC has a local bonsai club. I wonder if there is a counter-club for bonsai killers such as myself? The gentleman I spoke with gave me the key to what I've done wrong: since bonsai are trees, you really need to keep them outside. (With the challenge being to keep them alive over the winter, of course.)

   A bazaar with many toys, home goods, crafts, jewelry, Kokeshi dolls, textiles, dishes & more! I bought my first two Kokeshi dolls. Not that I need to start another collection, but I saw these two & they really spoke to me. Beautifully painted, with great color & expression.

An exhibit of a variety of kimono & yukata, and samurai armor:

   Display of model shrines (I was surprised that I have visited all but ONE of the shrines on display: Himeji-Jo near Osaka & Kyoto, Nijo-jo in Kyoto, Itsukushima Jinja in Miyajima, Todai-ji in Nara, Horyu-ji & Kasuga-taisha in Nara, Tosho-gu in Nikko, & Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto...I've missed only Ginkaku-ji so far (Had it not been for rainy weather in Kyoto that slowed me down, I would have made it!).

   Custom t-shirt printing. Choose a design & they'd add your name & print it on an inkjet transfer, and iron it onto a shirt for you:

   Cosplay contest entrants. As strange as cosplay can be, these were some elaborate costumes; the kids really went all-out. I didn't recognize any of the characters. I think the second-place finisher (the girl in black, second from the right) is dressed as a popular visual kei artist, Hide:

Japan Festival, part 3: Sumo

ROUND 1: JEN VS. PATTY

   IN THIS CORNER, WEIGHING IN AT...none of your business... AND STANDING 5'1" TALL, JEN THE DESTROYER!
(Looking all the more fearsome in the adorable Boo t-shirt.)

   AND IN THIS CORNER (wait, the ring is a circle!), LOOKING SMART IN HER JAPAN-AMERICA SOCIETY MATSURI JACKET,

PATTY THE PUNISHER! 

You'd better  hope that green tea has steroids, Patty!

The suits were at the ready:

   But getting into them was quite difficult! Patty accidentally put both of her legs into one Sumo leg, unintentionally creating the "Sumo Mermaid." By that time we were laughing so hard, we're lucky we didn't wet our mawashi (廻し)!

   Finally, proof that I'm as bada$$ as I think I am. (Joan: HOLY CRAP THIS IS FUNNY, that suit is going to eat you alive!)

Patty's Christmas card photo:

Seconds before I almost accidentally fell over on Patty:

And despite all that, we're still friends!

   The action seemed a lot faster, more bloodthirsty, and less ridiculous in real-life! It is so hard to move in the costume without losing your balance & toppling over, and once you fall over, you CAN'T get up or even roll over. The suit is too heavy & awkward. You feel like a turtle, which is apparently a very difficult thing to be. Of course, all this adds to the fun. Hopping is the most effective means of moving about. Which just makes everyone laugh harder & be even less stable. We drew quite a crowd!

ROUND 1: JEN VS. JOE

   Renee wasn't dying to break any bones in a frivolous manner, so I volunteered to go up against Joe. (I'm not gonna lie, they didn't have to twist my arm. And in the end, everyone tried on a costume.) Here's Renee with one of the skins:

Nothing like taunting your kids when they're helpless:

...and getting a taste of your own medicine!

   Renee is easily one of the funniest people I know, and it was pretty hard to control my laughter enough to take photos while she was hamming it up:

But when Joe threatened to topple her, the party was over:

Next it was Ian's turn. He was hilarious:

Even as Joe threatened to pile-drive him:

   Easily one of the most fun moments of the whole Japan fest! Thanks to Patty W & Joe for flattening me, to Patty M for taking photos & video, and to Renee & Ian & everyone for the laughs. I might just have to invest in a couple of Sumo suits... I love the smell of hot, sweaty gym padding in the morning. Speaking of morning, I was not feeling so good the next day, with serious pain in my head, neck & shoulders. The last time I was taken down, I was off the mat & my head smacked the ground. Hard. Pretty much jangled my brain.

   Here's what an actual, talented sumo wrestler looks like. And then us:

Guest animator, Joe A.

If you're already afraid of dentists, this won't help. (Awesome work, Joe!)