Con Reviw: Arizona Matsuri

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Catching up on these reviews! YAY! Just two more and I'm caught up!!! IT'S A MIRACLE!

Ahem, anyway. Arizona Matsuri isn't a con, per se... hence its name. Matsuri is the generic Japanese word for festival (today you learned!), and this one was a celebration of all things Japan for Nihonophiles, Japanese natives now living abroad, artists, cosplayers, and anyone who happened to waddle around Phoenix downtown that weekend.

Nothing really major happened at this one, since it wasn't a specific festival or convention. I did have the chance to work for Joe and his mama, who we all call Mama, at Tokyo Sky like I did last year! I LOVE THEM!!! They sell lots of plushies and some ready made costumes and lots and lots of hats and toys and I have no idea how I left that place with money....

Other than working with them (and Cory and Anjelo ofcourse), I ate. A lot. Like, Japanese festivals for me always ALWAYS turn into a game of "how fat can Leah make herself". Green tea pastries and curry pan and takoyaki and onigiri and a shaved ice and ohhhhhh man I'm hungry so I gotta stop talking about it.

I also had the chance to see my Oba-san (means Grandma, she was my biological grandma's best friend in AZ and pretty much family) do traditional Japanese dance, It's soooo beautiful, she's been doing it for years. I can only hope I'm that graceful when I'm her age!! I'll post a link to the video if anyone is interested in seeing her dance. It's split in two pieces, cause a big smelly guy was near me who must have marinated in Axe body spray, so I had to quit recording while I moved away. Le sigh.

Other than those things, I think some highlights were the thrift store booth where I got Japanese finishing school t-shirts and two wall scrolls, the Akita rescue booth where I gave them so many tummy rubs (!!!! I  WANT ONE SO BAD!!!!), and seeing a surprising number of friends just... randomly! Behind a booth as popular as Tokyo Sky, it's hard to pick out faces in the crowd unless they're talking directly to you, but I saw Eric, the other Eric I work for and his famby, Jeremy, Autumn, Joe, Katy, Gackto... lots of friends! YAY!

Okay, I really don't have much else to say, but thank you Matsuri and here's some photos!

My Oba, Hideko

Me and friend Jeremy!!!! <3

Neko paws and what WAS a sencha smoothie.

nom

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