Bon Odori Festival at Camp Zama

Three Saturdays ago (yikes! major blog backlog!) Ronjie and I trooped to Camp Zama to experience their 52nd Annual Bon Odori Festival and to see some fireworks. :D The base was a 10 minute walk from the Sobudaimae train station. Initially, we had fears of getting lost since it was our first time in the area + we didn't really have any directions on how to get to the base from the train station. We got out of the station along with a huge crowd of people... apparently everyone else was headed to the base too. So we just walked and followed the crowd. :D

we'll be back to try Uncle Sum

Camp Zama was open base that day for the festival. There were a lot of food booths! There were also some exhibitions and cultural performances in the afternoon and a series of Bon dances (Bon Odori) in the evening. And of course fireworks to cap off the whole thing.

Bon Odori stage and dance grounds

See the people on the stage and around it doing some choreographed actions?

ribs and nachos for dinner

I loved seeing Western people in their kimonos and yukatas

the crowd after the Bon Odori - waiting for the fireworks

VIP seats

some food stalls were still open even after the fireworks show

Here's a partial video of the fireworks. Spot the hearts and smileys! :)