Nisei Week 2024

After going to the same event(s) year after year, I wonder if some attendees experience boredom and a need for something completely new and different. I suppose when it comes to a free event(s), you can’t really complain. And it’s that much more difficult to complain when you attend on a day that has not just one event going on, but two or more events! I think the latter is what saved me from feeling bored while out and about in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo for Nisei Week, Natsumatsuri and Deko Car.

Nisei Week felt the “same” to me. Ikebana displays again? Yes. Calligraphy displays again? Yes. Dolls on display again? Yes. Tea ceremony demonstrations again? Yes but with a caveat this time around. In the prior year, I believe there was only one group that came to perform the tea ceremonies and it was free to observe. You only had to pay if you wanted to partake in sweets. This time around, there were ceremonies occurring from two organizations at the JACCC and they both required a fee. I honestly don’t know how I feel about that even if the fee wasn’t high. Now, I didn’t bother to ask them if it was a flat fee or if someone could just go in for free for observation purposes without having any sweets, but I honestly do not think the latter was an option and I found that to be a bit disappointing. Some attendees, like me, are going to be severe cheapskates and will only partake in something if it’s completely free. (Don’t get me wrong as I do understand that a fee is required to offset the costs associated with tea and sweets.) I believe another tea ceremony demonstration was offered in the second weekend of Nisei Week that wasn’t associated with any tea ceremony school and I am clueless as to whether they collected fees from attendees.

Anyway, with there being a lot of the “same old” going on during Nisei Week that wasn’t exactly the “same old”, I was relieved to experience Natsumatsuri and Deko Car all on the same day. It definitely felt like a bit of a mini marathon to go from one place to another but I don’t think I’d want it any other way. I will say that there was a moment or two where it did feel sketchy en route from JANM to Deko Car and there’s a reason for that: Little Tokyo is adjacent to Skidrow. While you’d have to walk a lot further to really see Skidrow, remnants of Skidrow exist in spots of Little Tokyo. It’s something to be mindful of. I feel that in general, you’d be alright if you just keep your eyes and ears open and not dawdle too long in one spot while in an area that has less foot traffic.

I will save my Natsumatsuri (JANM) and Deko Car experience for another blog post(s) to prevent this entry from becoming overly lengthy.

So, as much as I already want to talk about JANM’s Natsumatsuri and Deko Car, let me reshift the focus back to Nisei Week, which revolves around the JACCC and the Little Tokyo shopping areas.

It was crowded. It was hot. The Nijiya market, which I planned on stopping by, became a no-go once I heard the security guard coughing endlessly from who knows what. He was outdoors but my question and concern is why he was working that day. He should’ve been resting at home. (Maybe he’s used up his sick days or maybe he’s a contractor and there are no such things as sick days? I have no clue but the guy was obviously sick based on the sound and frequency of his coughs.) I ended up going to another market only to learn that Little Tokyo was having some street market in the area. Nice but unnecessary. I just walked through without even bothering to peruse the vendors because I knew everything would be overpriced, without a doubt.

Overpriced or not, the vibes of the street market was nice. And it was such a pleasant surprise because I wasn’t expecting there to be another event on top of Natsumatsuri and Deko Car. I definitely hit the event jackpot for coming to Little Tokyo that day. Lol

The “Akihabara” area of Little Tokyo was crowded. I found it strange because it was never this crowded or at least it wasn’t this crowded the year prior. Did people just all of a sudden learn about the hidden “Akihabara” and felt the need to do some major shopping? I was shocked. I’m going to assume that people brought out of town family and friends here. That’s the only explanation that makes sense for how ridiculously crowded it was. There were long lines from every store in that area. It was insane but it didn’t bother me because I wasn’t going to do any shopping in “Akihabara”. I don’t even want to know how long the average person had to wait before getting inside a store. That’s how insane it was.

And lines were a thing not only at the “Akihabara” stores but at vendors selling food within the vicinity as well. If you ever come to Little Tokyo on an event day and happen to be hungry, be wise about it. Walk a tad bit away from the more “happening” areas and you should be able to find a spot that doesn’t have a crazy line. In fact, I can guarantee that you’ll find a place that doesn’t even have a line that could just become your own hidden gem of a place to eat at.

Earlier in this post, I mentioned how Nisei Week gave off the “same old” vibes. While it’s not a bad thing, it can get rather boring time and time again especially if you’ve been going to the event year after year. However, it can also be a good thing for people that enjoy creating traditions. It’s a kid-friendly event and I can see it being an event that families come together to attend each summer. Of course, for those that get bored easily, I advise you to attend Nisei Week on a day when they have a lot going on. Yes, attend on a day when another event or two happens to be occurring at the same time as Nisei Week in Little Tokyo!