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  • -[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!

-[Martina] It's time for the Bon festivities to begin in Kichijoji.

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