Japan Tag

The city of Düsseldorf supposedly has the largest percentage of Japanese residents than any other European city. So, an annual celebration of this culture seems natural, right?

I arrived early, before the massive crowds, and my expectations were certainly shattered. When I think of Japan, I think of beautiful pink cherry blossom trees and fashionable kimonos paired with thin, dainty paper umbrellas. To my disappointment, however, I saw none of this at all. 

Rather, this fest was more of an “anime” convention – everyone dressed in (what I call crazy) costumes. But I guess it’s just part of the culture. I was surprised also at how many Germans enjoy anime. There were millions of people along the Rhine.

I tried Manju, a typical Japanese pork filled dumpling, and did a lot of people watching (not in a weird way). There was so much to see but it was also a bit overwhelming, especially because the whole anime aspect of Japanese culture fails to appeal to me at all.