Being a fan of Japanese anime and culture, there is one event I haven't visited yet: Bon Odori. This event was held at Kompleks Sukan Negara (Panasonic Stadium), Shah Alam to celebrate the friendship between Malaysia and Japan, and this year marks the 47th year of the event being held, although it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the one in Japan, Bon Odori in Malaysia is a cultural festival and has no religious significance at all.
Even if Bon Odori has no religious significance (here in Malaysia, at least), it won't stop detractors (particularly, Arab wannabe religious extremists!) from bashing this event or anyone visiting it. To make matters worse, a bunch of Japanophobes would bring up Japan's war crimes just to mock or criticise this event!
Alright, enough of my ranting. In this blog post, it's about my visit to Bon Odori that was held at Panasonic Stadium in Shah Alam on 22nd July 2023. So, before I proceed with this writing, I would like to remind those cultural xenophobes (I really mean it!) who loathe this event,
STAY OUT!
ARRIVAL
I drove to the stadium, bringing my elder sister along, and arrived at about 3:10 p.m. At first, I was planning to park my car at Shah Alam Komuter station, but since I was early, I decided to park my car at Jalan Pusara 21/1, which is within walking distance to the stadium.
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| Tealive truck, outside of the stadium. |
We entered the stadium from the back entrance. Once inside, there are a number of stalls selling food and drinks. Turns out, the entrance we used to get inside is the same entrance for the vendors.
Although the weather was sunny on that afternoon, the ground was wet and muddy due to the rain earlier in the morning. My shoes got muddy and dirty as a result, although it could have been worse than that.
While waiting for the event to start, we roamed around the available stalls and bought something there. Other than food and drinks, there are also stalls that sold yukatas and kimonos, and even accessories such as hairpins. In fact, for the first time ever, I bought myself a yukata and obi, since I've never tried wearing traditional Japanese clothing before.
THE EVENT STARTS
Once the front gate opened at 4:30 p.m. I went to the stadium's grandstand to take a seat (I was already inside the stadium at that time). Here, both me and my sister watched and waited for the event to start. Since our seats are beside the VIP section, we were able to see the ambassador of Japan, Takahashi Katsuhiko. As for me, I went back and forth to take photos and record videos, and also buying snacks and drinks at the available stalls. I didn't join in the dance, as I can't dance; The last time I danced was during my kindergarten years. Although the weather was good, I was sweating profusely, to the point that my shirt is soaking wet!
We stayed at the stadium until about 8:00 p.m. It was at this time that we left the stadium for home. To be honest, even though I enjoyed the event, I tend to get bored easily nowadays. Not only that, I also missed out some of the summer-themed Japanese food available there, such as the raindrop cake, for example.
Oh, did I forgot to mention that there are a few stalls that sold non-Halal food there?
Anyway, below are a number of photos and videos of the event. I didn't bring along my Sony a6000 camera, as I thought that it would be too cumbersome with me having to carry the camera and a bunch of stuff bought at the stalls.
More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/e9BH1s6nUHfwZhPB8
