Kawaii, kimono, karaage: Delhi celebrates Japanese culture

Anime lovers, cosplayers and J-culture enthusiasts, cheered loudly when sumo wrestler-actor Ryusuke Soma said, "Namaste Dilli," at the eighth edition of Konnichiwa Japan in Saket. The two-day cultural fest, held over the weekend, celebrated Japanese crafts like origami and ikebana, food, music and sports like karate and sumo wrestling.

The fest had many artistes, dressed in traditional and colourful kimonos, performing Japanese-pop music and showcasing rhythmic taiko drumming. Among the crowd, many came for their love for anime. Shalini, a student of Japanese language, said, "I fell in love with Japan because of anime. Anime got me interested in Japanese food and crafts."

Karaage, matcha roll, sushi: Delhiites enjoy Japanese food
The festival was a treat for foodies, with a range of Japanese food like karaage, sushi, okonomiyaki, matcha roll and matcha tiramisu on offer. "Metro cities including Delhi love matcha. From matcha latte and iced matcha to matcha roll and tiramisu, we made sure Delhi tries matcha in various forms," says a vendor.
Dhruv Thukral, Japanese resto Asagao's owner, observed that Delhiites have embraced the authentic flavours of ramen. "I love everything about Japan, especially the food. I tried the Japanese fried chicken called karaage with tartar sauce today and it was really good," said Piyush, a visitor.


"Konnichiwa Japan serves as a bridge to foster personal connections between the people of India and Japan. Each year, we bring new talent from Japan to India, and we believe that fostering cultural understanding is key to strengthening ties," remarked Markus, founder and chairman of the Konnichiwa Japan Club.



Top-selling anime figurines
Itachi from Naruto
Tanjiro from Demon Slayer
Luffy from One Piece
Goku from Dragon Ball Z
Zoro from Dragon Ball Z
-inputs from Bhupinder, who is an anime merch seller

Apart from anime figurines, people love buying kawaii, the cute stationery and accesories inspired by the Japanese culture. Kathy, whose love for kawaii promoted her to set up a kawai business in NCR, said, "Plushy keychains, clips, stationery, bracelets, stickers and anime lomo cards, people love buying kawaii. Hello Kitty is a forever favourite for any kawaii collector"