Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo in Tokyo. If you hear about it and you are in Tokyo, how can you not go? So I went. I gotta say, Cinco de Mayo festivals may be pretty much the same wherever you go. This was Tokyo's first and it celebrated all of the Americas. Today was the second of two days and it was pretty packed. This is Golden Week, a conglomeration of a string of holidays; people are out in force. The weather has been cooperating. I didn't have a lot of time; it was a hit and run kind of operation. I had to get the baggage off in the morning, then an early rendezvous in the evening.

The festival was at Yoyogi Park, so I had to get off the subway at Meiji-Jingumae Station.

Then have a look at the map. Oops, bad map...

Better map.

On the left, the Yoyogi National Stadium referred to on that better map.

This line of people persisted the whole time I was there. I never did figure out what they were waiting for.

Train tracks have a similar attraction to me as do cemeteries.

One entrance to Yoyogi Park, but this...

was my entrance - the Harujuku Gate. A lot less imposing.

The ubiquitous bicycle and a...

helmet!

Cinco de Mayo - Celebrating the Americas

Lots of people celebrating (Brazil).

You see, they are pretty much the same everywhere.

Need I say more?

One of my motivations for going was the possibility of getting a big piece of meat. I was willing to settle for a carnitas burrito. I went for the pulled pork sandwich, wondering why the line was so short...

they were out of most everything, including the pork.

Looks like just a crowd of people, but they are all waiting in lines at the various food stalls.

I don't wait in line for food unless there is no choice. I was very hungry, so I left that immediate area and explored some more of the park. I came upon this Yakitori guy...

Chicken or beef?

I took the beef. Looks good doesn't it...

if you like meat.

I like meat. Now if this guy was selling this in Los Angeles, he'd get shot. There wasn't piece of meat on that stick that I could eat. That is a cut of meat that is not palatable with less than five hours of slow, moist cooking. The glaze was tasty. The meat was tasty, but all I could do was chew it to get the juice out. It was a good thing I had grabbed a couple of paper towels; I had something to put the masticated refuse in.

I ran into two busking groups on my way out of the park.

The evangelists...

and the Appalachian-ists.

Then I had to get back to the room to change for my first experience of the ShibusaShirazu Orchestra.