The Bakersfield Californian – May 19, 2016 – Japanese influence is so ingrained in our modern pop-culture DNA that we tend to take it for granted. We drive Japanese cars, we eat Japanese foods, we play Japanese video games on Japanese consoles, and we even watched — or still watch — Japanese cartoons all on Japanese TV sets. Heck, I play on a Japanese drum set!
Don’t even get me started on the Internet.
We accepted it, forgot about it, and pretty much left it at that. But when it comes to recognizing actual Japanese culture and actual Japanese history that doesn’t involve Akira Kurosawa or World War II, I have to admit that a lot of us might be lacking. At least, it’s true for me. It sort of makes me feel like the guy who stayed on Japanese pop culture’s couch and never did the dishes.
The Cal State student club Japan and Beyond is hoping to remedy that ignorance by hosting a “matsuri” — Japanese for festival — whose main goal is to enlighten attendees to Japanese culture through immersion, demonstration and celebration. The celebration, from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Cal State Bakersfield Student Recreation Center, also marks the 10-year anniversary of the club’s inception.
Club president Kalyn Dunham, 21, is hoping that attendees enjoy this year’s event while immersing themselves in what the matsuri has to offer.
“As a club, we kind of gathered the best we could get to show Japanese culture that’s within our means,” Dunham said. “We want people to get a good sense of traditional and modern Japanese culture through the festival. It’s not really, ‘What you get is what you get,’ but more like, ‘Here. This is what we could get for you this year. We hope you enjoy.’”
It all sounds like a nice enough prospect, but why would anyone want to spend a few hours attending this festival, much less take the time to learn anything about Japan’s culture? Well, the festival hits a rare trifecta.
One: It’s unique and historical, yet fun. There will be martial arts demonstrations, music, and a cosplay contest. For the uninitiated, cosplay is wearing homemade costumes, but that can be raised to a whole intense new level of skill. It raises awareness of cultures that most people feel they already know, but might be fascinated to learn more about if given the chance — even if they never considered it.
The matsuri will concentrate primarily on Japanese culture, but other Asian cultures will be represented as well.
Second: It’s for the entire family, so kids are welcome. This is a huge bonus for parents looking for something to do as a family.
And, third: It’s free. Yes, free. Even the food (!) which includes white rice, steamed vegetables and gyoza, which are absolutely delicious Japanese potstickers. Here’s to hoping they don’t run out — they’re expecting 400 attendees this year. (Another perk is free parking in lots K1 and K2.)
The event starts at 4 p.m. with a set by the CSUB singers. At 5:15 p.m. there will be a performance by the CSUB Judo Club, followed by a Budo performance at 6:15 p.m. Kids will get a kick out of seeing these two martial arts demonstrated in person.
At 7 p.m. the L.A. Taiko Center will conduct a percussion performance. For those unfamiliar with taiko drumming, taiko drums are huge double-sided drums the size of wine barrels — or bigger — usually played with sticks the size of small logs. It’s a very powerful drumming style; primal yet sophisticated.
The cosplay contest is at 8 p.m. The grand prize is an all-day pass to the Anime Expo in Los Angeles. Second place gets an Applebee’s gift card but don’t laugh — for most students, free food is equivalent to gold. Cosplayers don’t have to be Japanese characters.
“It’s based on the quality of the costume and how true they are to the persona of who they’re trying to play,” Dunham said.
The only condition that Dunham and the club asks is for cosplayers to take into consideration that this is a family-friendly affair and to keep that in mind when choosing a design.
The first 20 cosplayers to sign up for the contest will receive prizes. Dunham’s prediction for the most popular cosplay?
“Maybe something classic like Pokemon or Naruto,” Dunham said. “It depends on the crowd. It might be something obscure or surprising.”
There will be various vendors throughout selling cosplay items, anime (Japanese cartoons), manga (Japanese comic books), and game merchandise. Campus Gamers at CSUB will have video games available to play as well, signifying that this small five-hour festival — the fourth in six years — is a collaboration of various clubs across campus and even across town. Bakersfield College’s Japanese Culture Club is helping with the matsuri as well.
“We hope to enrich people of Bakersfield to have a larger interest in Japanese culture,” Dunham said, “and expand interest in our club.”
Japan and Beyond Festival, 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at the CSUB Student Recreation Center Gym, 9001 Stockade Highway; free; all ages; free parking in lots K1 and K2; japanandbeyondCSUB@gmail.com
Cesareo’s picks
Bo & The Bluesdrivers, 6 to 10 p.m. May 28 at the Cuyama Buckhorn, 4923 Primero St., Cuyama; free; all ages until 10 p.m.
Bo & The Bluesdrivers is a Southern California modern blues / rock trio that’s a weird but cool combo of Texas blues, Pink Floyd, David Lee Roth-era Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix. They groove. Hard.
Their drummer, JJ Garcia, is a seven-year resident of Frazier Park. Along with his regular gig as a Bluesdriver, Garcia is the entertainment director for the Frazier Park Fiesta Days festival, now in its 49th year. But he didn’t need any of that clout to book his band’s upcoming gig next Saturday at the Cuyama Buckhorn. All it took was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“I’d heard through word-of-mouth that the Buckhorn was a cool place to play,” Garcia said. “So when I was driving back to Frazier Park from a gig at Harry’s in Pismo, I happened to pass by the Buckhorn. I stopped, went in, fell in love with the place and booked the gig.”
I know what he means. A version of the Cuyama Buckhorn has held a sweet spot in my heart since I worked with my dad in New Cuyama around 1987. We’d go there to eat breakfast before hitting the fields in the morning. But that nostalgia is for a restaurant that closed its doors many years ago. The new Buckhorn that arose in its place is a whole different animal. It was renovated and brought back to life about a year ago and transformed into a funky but cool combination of two different vibes: Western roadhouse and West Coast rockabilly.
For anyone wanting to start the party early, the one-year anniversary is this Saturday.
It’s a heck of a drive from Bakersfield, and the curvy roads up the mountain beyond Maricopa can be intimidating, but the Bluesdriver’s early-ish set makes it possible for early birds to make it back to Bako in plenty of time for last call. Or maybe you can choose to buckle down at the Buckhorn inn — yes, it’s a Western-themed inn as well — for the Memorial Day weekend and not have to worry about anything but looking up at the clear night sky.
Laughs and Drafts Presents Bobby Lee, 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Temblor Brewing, 3200 Buck Owens Blvd; $30; temblorbrewing.com; 489-4855
Comedian Bobby Lee is best known as a cast member on Mad TV as well as for his appearances in movies like “Pineapple Express,” “The Dictator,” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.” Of late, he is a recurring guest on the new Netflix original series “Love.” His stand-up comedy is observational with the lens pointed squarely at himself.
Lee does not hold back on his own flaws and dealings with drugs, sobriety, race and even his own father. It sounds dour, but his frank matter-of-fact delivery makes it all palatable.
On paper, Temblor Brewing might not seem like the optimal venue for a recovering addict to perform in; we’re talking about a bar that makes its own beer. But Lee is brazen, outrageous and an able improviser, so expect a bit of potential riffing on the situation. Temblor can take it; they’ve been on a roll, scoring sold-out or close-to-it shows by comedians like Jim Breuer, Pablo Fransisco and Darren Carter.
Lee’s energy level can be boundless and he’s unpredictable. Expect to leave this show breathless — either by laughter or exhaustion trying to keep up with him.