Matsuri the Festival will be presented on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Japan Foundation Los Angeles, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, Los Angeles.
This is the main event of “Japan Week on the Miracle Mile and Beyond,” celebrating JFLA’s reopening. Enjoy live music by Toshi Yanagi, a DJ set by Meishi Smile, free food and drinks, kimono/yukata dressing and photo session.
Yanagi has been the in-house guitarist on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” for 15 years. Originally from Kawasaki, he started playing piano at the age of 4, violin at 5, then joined the Tokyo Junior Philharmonic Orchestra at 11. When he moved to the U.S. in 1985, all he had was his passport and guitar. Since completing his degree at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, he has played with such acts as James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Gibbons, Boz Scaggs, Buddy Guy, Todd Rundgren, Men at Work, Bryan Adams, Johnny Lang, Sheryl Crow, Hall & Oates, George Benson, Chaka Khan, Gavin DeGraw and Jackson Brown.
Meishi Smile is an electronic project based in Los Angeles. The Japanese word “meishi” combined with the word “smile” is meant to convey a “formality masquerading an emotion,” describing the project’s disparate influences of harsh noise, Japanese pop and shoegaze. The project has released on Japanese netlabel Maltine Records and L.A.-based Zoom Lens, as well as Captured Tracks, Cascine, Orchid Tapes and Ryan Hemsworth’s Secret Songs. Meishi Smile’s ethereal animated music videos have been premiered on Adult Swim, The Fader, Gorilla vs. Bear & Pitchfork.
Try on a summer kimono and have your photo taken by a professional photographer! Yukata dressing and professional photo shooting will be organized by Kimono SK.
Have you ever had Japanese savory pancakes called okonomiyaki? The Japanese condiment company Otafuku Sauce will prepare sizzling okonomiyaki for you in either Osaka style or Hiroshima style.
Free admission. For more information, call (323) 761-7510 or visit www.jflalc.org.