A taste of Japanese tradition at Columbia University

Takoyaki at the Matsuri at Columbia University

After meeting my wife after work, we headed to Columbia University to check out their Japanese Society's Annual Matsuri (Festival). I'm not familiar with the campus, but it was on the landing close to the Alma Mater statue.

We noticed they had takoyaki (octopus balls) shortly after we got there and headed straight for the end of the line. At $8 for 6 pieces, they weren't bad, although we wished we had walked around first to see what else was there. Alas, I was hungry.

After consuming our takoyaki, we stood in another line for some okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes) which were a bit cheaper but eventually abandoned the idea as the line was long and moving too slow.

A traditional Japanese drum performance

There were traditional drum performances in coordinated movements. We also listened to some traditional music played on instruments, which the musicians took the time to explain as they were unusual to most westerners. I was intrigued by one called a mouth organ, which looked like a tiny version of pipe organs that had to be heated between performances for it to work well.

I wasn't too keen on the sound. My wife, who is Japanese, got more out of it than I did, and she explained that as the musical structure was different from Western music, the sheet music also looked very different. She suggested I approach the musicians and take a look at their sheet music, but I was eager to head out. The temperatures had been plummeting just since we got there, and I was freezing!

Now, I wish I had asked about the music and checked out the instruments. I also wish I had tried on a Yukata (light kimono), but I was shivering and eager to go someplace warm and put something nice and comforting in my stomach.