Nisei Week is a time honored tradition celebrating the achievements and culture of second generation Japanese Americans. The event is unique to the Los Angeles area and draws in people of all ages and ethnicities from all over Southern California. The most popular of these events is the coronation of the festival court and the grand parade. Other highlights include numerous food trucks catering to pan Asian cuisine and the food booths that have a little bit of everything Japanese. Scarlet Rhapsody was invited to judge the cosplay contest on two consecutive Saturdays.

Remember to check out our Nisei Week 2011 Gallery for more photos!

Typically, we go to Nisei Week for a day just to explore the exhibits and grab food. Cosplay and anime were tertiary priorities. However, one cannot deny anime’s popularity in the US and how it is now associated with Japanese culture. Japan Town in San Francisco even includes anime and manga characters on their mural.

The first cosplay contest was held on August 13, 2011. Pacific Media Expo informed us that the contest was in need of more volunteers. Victoria decided to step up and volunteer her time as a judge. The contest was organized by V3 Cosplay Syndicate. The first contest was held at the Japanese Village Plaza. There were about 20 solo entries that arrived on Saturday morning ready to compete. In addition, Zanney (California Conventions Blog) provided a halftime performance by covering songs from “Durarara!” Top honors were awarded to cosplayers from Naruto, Yugioh, and others. In addition, V3 Cosplay Syndicate also gave honors to GNB Cosplay and Ninjagal for their outstanding leadership in the cosplay community.

While I spent most of the day judging the contest, I checked out the Okinomiyaki booth outside of the Japanese Village Plaza market. For $5, it was well worth the delicacy. I also discovered a hidden manga parfait place in Little Tokyo. The parfait place is on the second floor directly above Anime Jungle on the Japanese Village Plaza side. I also sampled some mocha from the Japanese Village Plaza and it was a sweet ending to the first day.

Because V3 Cosplay Syndicate’s contest was such a success, the organization was invited to return on the following Saturday, August 20th for another contest. This time, it was held at the Japanese American Cultural Center plaza. Therefore, the change of venue meant a bigger stage and much more seating. Though there were fewer entries this time, the level of craftsmanship went up. We had two skit entries; Megaman and Kingdom Hearts. The rest were practically walk ons. Top honors went to Team Fortress, Macross Frontier, Dragonball, and Blazblue.

For the halftime entertainment, Steve Racer and Tadao Tomomatsu entertained the crowd by having an anime trivia contest. Such questions were from Speed Racer and Gunsmith Cats. The audience had no clue what kind of car Rally Vincent drove!

Later that day, we went to Orochon Ramen for our usual lunch. We had a party of 12, but the restaurant is able to handle large groups. Orochon Ramen is known for its strong and spicy ramen bowls. This restaurant was featured on Man Versus Food. Though not officially a part of Nisei Week, Thee Sycotik hosted a ramen eating contest in which several contestants had to scarf down the Special #2, the spiciest of all ramen bowls, in less than half an hour. This event drew photographers and cosplayers alike to see who had the guts to finish the Special #2.

Deb, Livengood, and I explored the exhibits at the Japanese American Cultural Center. There was a different set of exhibits on each weekend. This week, we had a bonsai tree exhibition, Japanese dolls, sumie paintings, Japanese calligraphy, and textile art. Previous years had samurai armor displays and a history of shoujo manga. The exhibits at the cultural center are free to the public and they are worth checking out if you are into Japanese culture.

Finally, we went to the Japanese garden at the cultural center. The gardens have been in renovation for a few years. For some of us, it was our first time in the garden. The last time I stopped by the Japanese garden was back in 2003 when Cosplay.com hosted the Nisei Week cosplay contest (AG Mixer 2003). This is a nice place to explore, skip on the rocks, and relax. Younger generation cosplayers, were doing some photoshoots and hanging out with friends.

Nisei Week never ceases to amaze me. This event is one I am always willing to show my support for. As an Asian American, I feel that it is important to support community culture by coming and volunteering for events like this one. If you live in the Los Angeles area or just visiting for the summer, Nisei Week is worth checking out just for the culture alone. The only problem is finding parking on the day of the parade. Many thanks to V3 Cosplay Syndicate for reviving the cosplay contest. Many thanks to the people who made Nisei Week possible!

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