Jak Japan Matsuri 2012

Unlike last year, I didn’t know what the theme is for this year’s Jak-Japan Matsuri. The guest performance from Japan was also not intriguing. On the first year, the performance was Honoo O Doiko, I like them a lot. Last year was Nakamura, an energetic dance group. This year was May J, a presenter of Japanese TV Show called J-Melo. There was also JKT48. To be honest, the performances were not the reason for me to come to the event…apart from wanting to meet my friends; the only reason was to do Bon Odori.

From this point forward, you will see more photos than written words

The Outside view

Monas seen from Jak-Japan matsuri venue

Yosakoi Dance. I didn’t see the whole dance because I have seen TOO often and it started to bored me. I spent the time talking to my friends.

A short calligraphy course. I had a calligraphy class once and it was VERY difficult.

The only cosplayers that I found interesting.

The stage where Bon Odori would be held.

May J

After May J’s performance, there was Jakarta KEION. They sang AKB48’s songs, a mix of Kasmaran (an old Indonesian song) and Kokoro no Tomo (an old Japanese song), and the song that made me jumped and sang-along, Laruku’s song called Ready Steady Go.

While Jakarta KEION were still on stage, Omikoshi passed through the crowd to be in front of the stage…but it left before the last performance, JKT48.

JKT48 is the first AKB48 sister group outside of Japan. They sing AKB48’s songs in Bahasa Indonesia. Their clothes and dance are also similar to AKB48.

To be honest, the audience or we could call them as JKT48 fanboys were more interesting to see than JKT48 itself. I never much of a girl-band fan, I like one of their songs called Heavy Rotation and that’s it. The fanboys were amazing!! They were so unified. All of them were shouting some kind of yells at the same time, they knew their timing very well. It was an amazing view.

Here’s a video of JKT48 singing Heavy Rotation and their amazing fanboys.

I didn’t wait till their show over because I had to meet a friend and prepare myself for the main event (for me it was the main event)…Bon Odori. Bon Odori is a Japanese folk dance which involves a lot of people…it’s kinda like traditional Japanese flash mob

This video below is not mine, I never recorded Bon Odori because I was busy dancing near the stage …but at least you get the idea of how the dance is.

Before Bon Odori started, we had few minutes of Hanabi (fireworks).

The View before Bon Odori and Hanabi

Hanabi (firework)

Let the dance begins!!

I had great time that Sunday

See you all again next year…I can’t wait to start dancing again. I love Bon Odori.