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The Mainichi
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Entertainer Ken Matsudaira samba dances to celebrate Showa era at Tokyo-area amusement park
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- A glittering samba event recently kicked off the Golden Week holiday season at the Seibuen Amusement Park in this city just northwest of Tokyo in a tribute to Japan's Showa era, which lasted from 1926 to 1989. The "Golden Matsuken Matsuri (Samba)" was held April 26 as part of the "Showa 100-nen Daisaiten" grand festival, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Showa era, at the theme park's Yuhino-oka Shopping Street -- immersed in the "Showa retro" aesthetic. The dance event featured 71-year-old actor and musician Ken Matsudaira, known by the nickname Matsuken, in a luminous golden outfit. As gold-colored confetti fluttered through the air, Matsudaira and the performers danced to the rhythm of his 2004 hit "Matsuken Samba II," filling the shopping street with excitement and cheers from the crowd. After the event, Matsudaira commented, "It was my first performance at an amusement park. I was moved by how enthusiastic the visitors were. If I stay healthy, I want to continue singing until I am 80." Various Showa-themed events will be held at the theme park in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, during the Golden Week holidays through May 6, including the "Showa-priced grand sale" which allows shopping at 1960s prices, the "Showa 100-year grand fireworks" and the participatory show "Golden Boogie-Woogie festival." (Japanese original by Koichiro Tezuka, Photo Group)
The Mainichi
21-04-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Production of pickled cherry blossoms in full swing in east Japan city
HADANO, Kanagawa -- Production of salted multilayered cherry blossoms, known as "sakura-zuke" (pickled cherry blossoms), has reached its peak in this eastern Japan city. Hadano is one of Japan's leading producers of edible multilayered cherry blossoms. The processing facility of the Chimura Wakatake-kai, a group of producers in the city's Chimura district, is awash in pink from the harvested blossoms. The group uses the vivid "Kanzan" variety. Blossoms flowering at 70% to 80%, which boast good color and fragrance, are picked and soaked in salt, plum vinegar and other ingredients for about a month to make sakura-zuke. The blossoms bloomed slowly this year due to many cold days. Also, with little rain, high-quality sakura-zuke of excellent color and shape are apparently expected. The group's representative Kikue Kato, 45, expressed her delight, saying, "Just adding a single sakura-zuke can brighten up a dining table, bringing a sense of spring. I'd be happy if many people enjoy this 'edible spring.'" (Japanese original by Mimi Niimiya, Photo Group)
