-[Martina] It's time for the Bon festivities to begin in Kichijoji.
This is a festival that happens
all throughout the summer time.
Different times and different regions.
It's the time for Kichijoji!
And last year, we didn't know what it was.
We just, like, stumbled upon it.
But this year, we're ready.
We're gonna go eat all the food, we're gonna play the games,
and we're gonna do some dancing.
Bon-Odori!
S: So,
I'm a little embarassed
because I watched the YouTube video online
about how to fold it, I did the creases and everything,
but I still got it wrong. Fortunately,
a guy came over and he helped me tie mine up.
But he also had difficulties! It took him a good, like,
ten minutes of wranglin', so this is challenging! M: I think that the obi belt might be too short for you, maybe.
S: I also think it's a matter of, like,
it's supposed to be, like, down in the front and higher in the back,
but because I've got such big thighs and a big ass,
my body proportions are different.
So it's difficult that way, but
there you go. That looks better.
M: Yeah, that definitely looks better.
S: And he touched my butt a lot. M: Well, you have to pull it down.
S: Lots of-- lots of bum touches.
M: Good job, ducky, you look good.
S: Arrr! M: There you go.
M: あつい! (Hot!)
It looks great now, yeah.
There you go.
S: Hey girl.
S: Aww, yeah...
It's time for yelling, everybody, 'cuz we got the cicadas and the music!
My favorite part of Bon Odori is the yakisoba!!!
These are stir-fried noodles!
With soy sauce, you got some pork,
you got some ginger right here,
and it's wonderful! On a summer night.
This isn't the best yakisoba you're gonna find,
we find really good ones at restaurants,
but eating it out of a plastic tray,
with some wooden chopsticks
in a yukata,
with music blaring around you,
this is a good vibe.
This is a good taste.
M: Takoyaki!
A delicious, molten lava piece of batter
stuffed with a little piece
of tako octopus on the inside!
It's the equivalent of a hot pocket
because it's never cold enough to eat.
Mm!
It's like
savory pancake batter
with a piece of octopus
teriyaki sauce on top,
and a little bit of mayonnaise.
S: Now, just because this is a festival in Japan
doesn't mean that it's only Japanese food.
Here we have some tandoori chicken
and we have a samosa!
See, there's diversity here as well!
That's a good samosa!
Oh damn!
M: So can you guys see the big stage
that's set up behind us?
That's gonna be for Bon-Odori, the dancing later on.
And basically what you're doing is
following people that're dancing,
so you don't necessarily know the dance moves, and that's okay!
You just join in and kind of follow along with what everybody's doing.
And it's supposed to have, like, a really deep meaning about dancing for joy,
in remembrance of your ancestors
and everything they've done for you,
but as Christmas has turned into kinda just a holiday in North America,
it's the same kinda thing here.
You just come here to dance.
And Simon?
We're ready to dance.
S: Aww yeah girl, flick yo hair! M: Except this is so hot, it's hotter than a club.
S: Flick yo beautiful hair girl! M: I'm really just-- overheated at this point, I'll be honest.
But I'm still gonna dance!
S: So for those of you with angry tumblr blogs,
that wanna write about white people and cultural appropriation,
PLEASE calm down.
Our address is Kichijoji, this is our community,
we are wearing yukatas like our neighbors are wearing yukatas,
and we're seeing our neighbors here
and lots of other people we see around our neighborhood,
so stop being so angry. Enjoy,
it's Bon-Odori!
We're supposed to celebrate!
Come, it's time to dance!
S: I know this all looks like fun and games,
but it's really exhausting stuff!
If you're, like, 32 degrees heat,
and you're pouring sweat,
the only thing that can save you is two alcoholic beverages.
This one's Martina's, but I gotta do a long shot so I can drink more of it.
It's nice, it's lime!
M: Mm...
Mm-hm!
Want some? S: Yeah, I do.
M: Ah, no no...
M: (Want some?) S: Yeah!
I want some!
So the tradition behind these hard, wooden sandals
is that they hate you and they want you to suffer.
So, the whole point of this is they want you to be as uncomfortable as possible.
It's-- it's a deeply rooted tradition
OF PAIN!!!
I don't know how anyone finds these comfortable,
they hurt SO MUCH!
My feet hurt so much!
M: Well, we are exhausted, we had an amazing Bon this year,
the Bon-Odori was awesome,
we felt like much more part of the community this year,
because we recognized two of the songs, right ducky?
S: Uh-huh. M: And we, like, knew how to dance to them,
And then afterwards, like, some people came up, and they were like,
"You guys did a great job dancing!"
And I felt, like, really warm and touched and excited
and, like a little grandma was calling us over to say, like,
"This is the cold area to get a breeze!"
And it just..it felt awesome,
like last year I felt like I didn't know what was going on,
and now I just feel, like, warm and fuzzy, right ducky? S: Really warm and fuzzy!
M: Really warm and fuzzy!
And my feet hurt, but it was worth it
S: Maybe! M: And we learned the cat dance,
and...Kichijoji's the best.
They're starting the last round!
I gotta go!